An emergency international summit of the world’s leaders should be called. Together, these leaders must agree on a new mandatory climate change treaty. The Kyoto Protocol agreement, which requires industrial nations to cut their emissions by an average of 5.2% from 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012, is wholly inadequate.

Many of the industrial countries are not likely to meet even this low target. The U.S., the most powerful industrial nation, refuses to be bound by any restrictions, although it is the biggest single source of greenhouse gases -- almost a quarter of the world’s total, according to UN estimates. Importantly, the large developing countries, such as China, India and Brazil must also be locked into a new mandatory international agreement on greenhouse restrictions. Economic growth must be based on low-carbon economies. There has to be a renewable energy revolution around the world.

The first step would be greater investment in clean energy systems. For example, less than 5% of Africa's hydro-power potential is being exploited. Many Western companies are reluctant to invest. Furthermore, there must be a concerted effort to promote the use of renewable energy sources or biofuels, for example in vehicles.

A change in behavior is also urgently needed. The public must understand the dire consequences of wasting energy. In addition, there should be strict regulations imposed that tax companies so they become more energy efficient.

Depressingly, climate change denial still abounds –- in governments, business and science. There does not appear to be a sense of urgency in the business or political leadership to cut greenhouse emissions.

But the period to act on climate change is shrinking fast. Not surprisingly, the consequences of climate change are worst for Africa and developing countries -– although they are least responsible for climate change. It is the poor in developing countries that suffers the most from the environmentally unfriendly lifestyles of the rich in developed countries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in a report released on February 2 concluded that human emissions of greenhouse gases, rather than natural variations, are overwhelmingly responsible for warming the planet’s surface. It predicted more droughts, heat waves, floods, more devastating storms and rising seas threatening low-lying islands and coasts of many countries. Denying climate change puts us all in peril.