LONDON, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A report by the British government concludes global warming could cause coastal flooding, water shortages and leave millions without access to food.
The 700-page report, commissioned by Chancellor Gordon Brown, said the eventual cost of damage caused by climate change could reach $3.68 trillion globally, The Times of London reported Monday.
However, the report said the damage could be avoided at a cost equivalent to 1 percent of the country's gross domestic product.
"That is manageable," said the report's author, Sir Nicholas Stern, former chief economist for the World Bank. "We can grow and be green."
"The task is urgent. Delaying action even by a decade or two will take us into dangerous territory. We must not let this window of opportunity close," Stern said.
"Government, businesses and individuals all need to work together to respond to the challenge. Strong, deliberate policy choices by governments are essential to motivate change."
Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed the report as a call to action saying the document "demolished the last remaining argument for inaction in the face of climate change."
