CHIBA — Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Saturday urged both developed and developing countries to break their stalemate and reach a global deal that will allow all major carbon dioxide emitters to take collective action on climate change.
In addressing the opening of the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the meeting, dubbed the "G8 Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development" at Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba, Blair said, "failure to act on climate change now would be deeply and unforgivably irresponsible."
The three-day ministerial meeting, also known as the G20 because it involves countries outside the G8 major industrialized economies, includes China and India. It began in 2005 following the G8 summit held in Gleneagles in Britain, when Blair was prime minister.