The world must push on with sweeping changes to its traditional energy use, Energy Secretary Ed Davey said yesterday echoing calls from the UN’s body for climate change research.

Speaking after the third report in a series was published by the IPCC over the weekend, he warned: “The risk is too great to stop here. We need a worldwide, large-scale change to our energy system if we are to limit the effects of climate change.

“I call for international leaders to work together with enforced vigour to reduce carbon emissions and secure an ambitious legally binding global agreement in 2015”.

Sceptics have suggested no significant dent in greenhouse gas emissions can be made without efforts from growing economies like India and China.

China is the single largest emitter of greenhouse gases with its large coal use but environmentalists sense the winds of change after recent clean air measures.

Activists in Berlin (pictured) urged the Asian superpower and others to end the “deadlock” at future climate change talks.

Li Shuo, Climate and Energy campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia said: “China could break the deadlock in UN climate talks by presenting an ambitious new target with binding emissions cuts. If China leads, the US and the EU will have no excuse for not being more progressive.”