UK targets 'dangerous climate change'

The government today launched a new programme focused on helping the UK avoid dangerous climate change.

A joint effort of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the programme seeks to improve the government’s evidence base on climate change science. It also aims to help decide on “decisive global action” to reduce and respond to global warming.

“Government policies are based on robust, up-to-date evidence, and the AVOID programme will ensure that this continues to be the case by providing the very latest scientific understanding of climate change, its impacts and how we can cope with changes that are already unavoidable,” said Joan Ruddock, Minister of Energy & Climate Change.

The first stage of the programme is set to run through the end of 2012, with an expanded effort to be launched after that.