Paul Wheelhouse: Philippines typhoon 'climate change wake-up call' The typhoon that hit the Philippines should be a "wake-up call" on climate change, Scotland's environment minister has said. Paul Wheelhouse is to attend UN climate talks in Poland this week and hopes to encourage nations to set higher targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The Scottish Government has missed its climate change target over the last two years but said it is still on course to meet its long-term goal of a 42% reduction in emissions by 2020. Nearly 200 ministers from across the world will attend the conference in Warsaw this week along with environmental groups. Mr Wheelhouse has said the Scottish Government's key objectives are to encourage more nations to set higher targets by promoting the economic benefits of a low-carbon economy. "The devastation in the Philippines is surely a huge wake-up call to the governments of the world meeting in Warsaw," he said. The delegation from the Philippines have already made clear the urgent need for action - our message is that other nations need to share Scotland's ambition on this vital issue. This follows on from the highly compelling report by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) on the physical science basis on climate change. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions isn't easy, but it is essential if we are to tackle climate change - and I hope that Scotland's story can help illustrate the way forward. Thousands of people are feared dead and millions more are in desperate need of food, water and shelter after Typhoon Haiyan. It hit the eastern seaboard of the Philippines last Friday, moving across its central islands into the South China Sea. Catastrophic damage was caused by 170mph gusts of wind and a storm surge that raised sea waters by 20ft. Mr Wheelhouse said: "While we can't necessarily point to any one weather event and say its caused by climate change, the UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development) climate data indicate there could be a significant increase in climatic disasters such as the typhoon which hit the Philippines last week or indeed Hurricane Sandy in the USA last year. We now know that our climate is changing more rapidly than it has in the past and than we had anticipated at this time and we are already witnessing extremes that have not been experienced in living memory. Sam Smith, leader of WWF-International's climate and energy initiative, said he was "impressed" by the Scottish Government's commitment to climate change. "For those of us here in Warsaw, it's clear that these talks urgently need an injection of real ambition from developed nations such as Scotland," he said. Scotland's strong emissions reduction targets genuinely match what the science demands and it is welcome to see a developed country acknowledging its responsibility for tackling climate change and playing its part in easing the burden on developing countries. Though Scotland faces challenges in trying to meet its targets, at the end of the day it is critical that Scotland delivers on its promises if it's to be the credible and influential low-carbon success story the world is waiting for.