Science clear on climate, British energy secretary says LONDON, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The international community is at a turning point in terms of sentiments in favor of addressing climate change now, the British energy secretary said Monday. "The science is clear," Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said in a statement. Climate change poses great risks to health, global food security and economic development - and unchecked will change every part of our lives. This year's report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found emissions of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, from the combustion of fossil fuels accounted for 78 percent of the total emissions increase from 1970 to 2010. A British government report said there was an increasing body of evidence to suggest changes in global weather patterns are "consistent with what is expected from the fundamental physics of a warming world." Winter storms in December and January led to the wettest period in the country since record-keeping began. Davey pointed to a survey from polling firm Populus that found more than half of the global public want their leaders to take action to address climate issues. "We are at a global turning point," he said. From across the Atlantic, President Barack Obama has said "nobody gets a pass" on joining the fight against climate change. He and Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, issued a joint declaration on the shared need to address climate issues during a mid-November meeting in Beijing. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., expected to lead the Environment and Public Works Committee in the upcoming U.S. Congress, the president's climate stance is "handcuffing" the economy.