Denying climate change no longer acceptable - Huhne

12.00.06pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 28th Sep 2006

The North Pole will be ice free by the middle of this century if we carry on as we are

Denying climate change is no more acceptable than when tobacco companies denied the link between smoking and lung cancer said Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP. Addressing the Quoted Companies' Alliance (QCA) Mr Huhne said,"To their credit, a number of businesses that are heavily reliant on fossil fuels such as BP and Shell now recognise climate change realities. They are the good guys trying to green their activities. But others - notably ExxonMobil and General Motors - are still funding irresponsible public relations campaigns denying the science.

"I know it is difficult persuading anyone of a case if their salary depends on thinking the opposite, but we have to ask ourselves whether ExxonMobil denying climate change is any more acceptable than when British American Tobacco denied the link between smoking and cancer.

"There is another and better road: not denying climate change but adjusting to its realities. But here many businesses are behind the curve through inadvertence. Nearly half said that protecting the environment would not affect their business. How very wrong. There are real business opportunities here. Climate Change Capital has raised a big new fund to invest in companies at the cutting edge of new technologies and trading.

"Indeed, even businesses that are in sectors far from energy or the consumer cannot afford to ignore climate change. After all, the whole agenda fits well with the business ethic of cutting costs to feed the bottom line and many of the savings in energy use are spectacular