The Government has started a series of joint ministerial visits to key European capitals Tuesday to drive forward EU action on climate change.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury John Healey and Environment and Climate Change Minister Ian Pearson will join business representatives in Berlin where they will argue that European leadership has to be at the heart of the global effort to tackle climate change.

"Climate change is a central economic as well as an environmental challenge," said Mr Healey, adding that the Government would work to meet the agreement set by EU leaders earlier in the month to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 per cent by 2020.

Pearson said: "These visits will help build support and commitment across Europe for strong international action to tackle climate change.

"EU leadership will help secure an ambitious agreement from both the G8 and the formal UN climate change process so that we can avoid dangerous climate change."

In addition, the visits will provide the opportunity to build international support for the UK Government's Vision Paper for the long-term future of emissions trading, and further debate following the Stern Report on the economics of climate change last autumn.

Earlier this month, UK businesses and environment groups joined the debate on how emissions trading should develop by signing up to a manifesto on the future of EU emissions trading. The manifesto was coordinated by the UK Government.