Blair Pitches Global Climate Pact

Former British prime minister Tony Blair will seek to privately broker a new international agreement to cut carbon emissions by 50% before 2050 that would include China, India and the US, reports the Guardian. Blair has been working on the project with climate change experts since he left office last summer. He's convinced global warming is the biggest threat the world faces and that action must be taken in the next two years or it will be too late to reverse the problem.

His effort is backed by the UN, Europe and the White House. "A true and proper global deal needs to include America and China," he said. "This is extremely urgent. If we do not take substantial action, then by 2020 we will be thinking seriously about adaptation rather than prevention." Blair plans to unveil his initiative this weekend at a G20 meeting in Japan. (More climate change stories.)