London stumps for tough climate rules

The notion that tough rules will stop a systemic collapse applies as much to the economy as it does to the environment, a British climate official said. World delegates are preparing for a U.N. conference on climate change in Durbin, South Africa, later this year. Leaders there will review environmental issues spelled out in the Kyoto Protocol. John Ashton, special envoy for climate change at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, writes in the Guardian newspaper the global economic crisis has taught world leaders tough rules are needed to stave off a systemic economic collapse. "This lesson is as true for the environment as it is for the economy," he writes. Ashton notes some authorities are looking to "give Kyoto a decent burial" and look for other options, notably a voluntary framework for climate change. He writes, however, that voluntary pledges won't convince the private sector that it should work for a low-carbon future. "Voluntary pledges alone will not keep the global economy open, drive trade and investment, maintain financial stability, or protect peoples against food, water and energy insecurity," he writes. "If we cannot summon the will to make hard promises on climate change -- the first challenge we have ever faced that will affect literally everyone -- it will become much harder to do so on everything else."