Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen.
Welcome to this Climate Change Seminar and to the splendid surroundings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
We have two very interesting speakers here today. Their contributions will lead, I am sure, to some helpful discussions.
Today I would like to set out the principles, aims and approach guiding the UK attitude to Copenhagen.
The UK Government has already published our position - we want to be open and honest about an agreement that will affect our lives for years to come.
We know that there will be a cost from avoiding dangerous climate change but this will be far less than if we delay and ignore the problem.
That's why we must be clear about the green benefits for a low carbon Britain and a low carbon world.
Because building a low carbon Britain and securing a Copenhagen deal will have tremendous business and economic benefits. An ambitious deal at Copenhagen is vital to our economic prosperity and national security. In contrast, unchecked climate change would present huge costs to the British economy and destabilise large parts of the world.
Our critical aim is that action is directed at limiting global average temperature rises to two degrees Celsius. Otherwise, as global leaders agree, the risks of global climate change becomes too great.
We want a deal that is ambitious, effective and fair.
That involves action by all countries and help for developing countries.
With developed countries leading the way with at least 80% emissions cuts by 2050. With global emissions starting to decline in a decade.
And where there is stronger international cooperation to develop and share technologies needed to cut emissions and withstand the effects of climate change.
Technology that will revolutionise energy efficiency - like carbon capture and storage and electric vehicles.
In our approach we are active on as many fronts, and on as many bodies, as is possible.
We are working through the Major Economies Forum, the G8, the G20, the UN, the EU and the Commonwealth. I'll take a moment to highlight the latter two.
At the Copenhagen Convention the UK negotiates as part of the EU - which means that Sweden, which holds the EU Presidency will lead our negotiating effort.
The EU position for Copenhagen will be set by Ministers in the EU Environment Council and endorsed by Heads of State through the EU Council.
And we will also seek to work through the Commonwealth. Particularly at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad next month - where the theme is 'Partnering for a more equitable and sustainable future.'
Today I am launching, in Scotland, the UK Government's Plus Four Degrees Celsius temperature rise impact map.
Using Met Office projections it shows the human impact if global average temperatures rise by 4 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial climate average. The picture for our planet in this scenario is devastating.
I hope it will 'prove it' to those who still doubt or dismiss climate change.
I believe that Copenhagen is a fortnight that will shape decades.
The consequences of climate change are already with us right now.
The acidification of the Arctic Ocean caused by carbon dioxide is already having an adverse impact on the food chain.
In many regions around the North Pole seawater is likely to reach corrosive levels before 2020.
Dissolving the shells of mussels and other shellfish and causing major disruption to the food chain. By the end of the century, the entire Arctic Ocean will be corrosively acidic.
Moving south to the Indian Ocean. Last weekend the Maldives Government held a Cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the seriousness of its situation.
It drove home the message about the problem of rising sea levels and changing weather patterns - already seriously affecting the Maldives and other parts of our planet. Leading to loss of life and refugees fleeing their devastated homes.
We are directly affected too. During the last 40 years, the UK's winters have grown warmer, with heavier bursts of rain. Severe flooding makes headlines more frequently. The last six years have been the warmest since records began. During August 2003, the UK's hottest temperature ever was recorded in Kent. It was a seriously sticky 38.5°C.
We are facing an enormous environmental and energy equation. The conversion of carbon intensive economies to low carbon in the space of a generation.
We must use the need to build a green economy to create green collar jobs and drive green growth. This is the sustainable route out of recession.
The UK is already the world's sixth-largest low carbon economy. The sector even expanded during the downturn. Those employed in green technology will increase by 40,000 in Scotland by 2015. That's double the number of Scots employed in mining thirty years ago.
Our Low Carbon Industrial Strategy shows the importance we place on green jobs and technology.
It's about energy efficiency, the shift towards renewables and nuclear power, and ultimately, I believe carbon capture and storage.
It's about smart energy grids and low carbon cars.
It's about boosting investment in green energy technology and making sure our people have the right skills for the right sectors.
I am cannily optimistic that Scotland possesses the ingenuity to thrive and survive in this new expanding green global marketplace - already worth around three trillion pounds.
After all it was a Scot, Professor James Blyth, who was awarded the Brisbane Gold Medal by this very society in 1892 for his work generating electricity by wind.
Over a century later a new generation of Scots are fulfilling Blyth's vision. We must hope that their efforts are not too late.
Climate change is a grave danger but renewables can also be a springboard for Scotland. The potential is immense.
Scotland is entering a third energy revolution. The first two - coal and North Sea oil and gas - were the results of our geology. Our geography has now given us wonderful natural advantages in wind, wave and tidal power.
Scotland can lead the way in low carbon growth and take our talent and technology out into the wider world.
The time for an ambitious, effective and fair climate change deal is now. The evidence is clear. Climate change is affecting our planet today. The UK Government calls on the world to act now, as one. Otherwise the global consequences will be devastating.
There is no "Plan B".
Britain has taken a lead nationally and internationally in the fight against climate change. We are determined that Copenhagen will be a major step to a safer, sustainable world.