Tony Blair is promising to make tackling climate change the focus of the UK G8 presidency next year.

The prime minister is giving a keynote speech on global warming in London, at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Prince of Wales' environmental initiative.

He will argue that only international action will get to grips with the global problem.

Britain will push for the world's wealthiest nations to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions as they are responsible for producing the majority of pollution.

"While domestic action is important, climate change is a problem that is global in cause and scope and can only be fully addressed through international agreement," Blair will say.

It is important that "our efforts to stabilise the climate are based on global agreement.

"It is the richest countries that produce most of the problems. It is the poorest countries that suffer most from severe weather events, longer and hotter droughts and rising oceans.

"So the onus therefore is on the richer countries to solve the problem. That is why we have made climate change the focal point of our presidency of the G8 next year."

Visiting an energy company earlier in the day Blair said: "It is a huge issue and time is running out.

"When we had the last presentation on this from government scientists, I was quite shocked at how the evidence of the speed of this is gathering."

Consensus

However Blair will face resistance from the US, where the current Republican administration has withdrawn from the Kyoto protocol on reducing emissions.

The prime minister has therefore put together a programme of events designed to reach a consensus on the science of the issue.

It will begin with a major international climate change meeting at the Hadley Centre for climate prediction and research in February.

Downing Street said three key objectives would drive the G8 agenda.

"Firstly to get agreement on the basic science on climate change and the threat it poses," the official spokesman said.

"Secondly to get agreement on a process to identify the science and technology measures necessary to meet the threat.

"And thirdly to get the involvement of nations beyond the G8, particularly China and India, who will also be crucial in reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

The spokesman said that such an agreement would be a major advance that Blair believes is "achievable".

He added that "Kyoto is the right path, but it will not by itself be enough" and suggested that the international community would be persuaded by the financial case for reform.

"It is in our economic interest, not just our moral duty, to take action on this.

'Lecture'

Blair's speech follows an attack on the government’s environmental policy by Tory leader Michael Howard who was speaking at an environment forum hosted by Green Alliance on Monday.

The Conservative chief argued that major advances in environmental regulation were completed under his party's rule and are being "squandered" by Labour.

"We have a privileged relationship with the USA, which leaves us best placed to persuade them into the international fold. We assume the presidency of the G8 and the EU next year," he said.

"My concern is that we are squandering this opportunity. Because of our failure to follow up bold rhetoric with action that inspires trust. The instinct of our prime minister is to lecture people."

This is the second major speech on the environment Blair has made this year following criticism that he was sidelining the issue.

In April the prime minister said that climate change "would dominate the world agenda in the years to come".