Real pollution cuts should be priority for governments - say WWF Scotland.

Governments must deliver real cuts now in climate pollution and not wait for techno-fixes such as climate engineering, said WWF Scotland today.

The call by the environmental group follows a warning by a climate scientist based at the University of Edinburgh in today's journal Science, that attempts to limit global temperature increase by blasting jets of water into the atmosphere or placing mirrors in space could have devastating consequences.

In recent years there has been growing interest in the use of climate - or geo-engineering to deliberately manipulate the Earth's climate to counteract the effects of climate change.

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Ideas have included: ocean iron fertilization, the production of stratospheric sulphur aerosols, cloud reflectivity enhancement and space-based mirrors.

WWF Scotland's Director, Dr Richard Dixon, said: "These scientists underline why governments cannot simply pin their hopes of tackling climate change on unproven, big techo-fixes.

"While some of the ideas out there might have a role to play one day, the world cannot wait. We need to see real and measurable cuts in emissions across all aspects of society including homes, businesses, transport and agriculture. We already have the technologies we need to reduce emissions, all that is needed is the political will.

"This week the Scottish Climate Change Bill received Royal Assent. It is a world-leading piece of climate legislation that we believe other developed nations should try to emulate in order to strike a climate-saving deal in Copenhagen in December."

(GK/JM)