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Lord Turner, former director-general of the CBI and a director of Standard Chartered Bank, will head the high-profile new body, being established under the Climate Change Bill.

The Committee will provide independent, expert advice on how the UK can best meet its climate change goals.

Benn said that the Committee on Climate Change would play a central role in the Government’s push towards achieving a low-carbon economy in Britain.

“The Government will rely on its detailed, expert advice to ensure the UK tackles our CO2 emissions over the next four decades, to ensure we avoid dangerous climate change,” he added.

Lord Turner called climate change one of the greatest challenges of our time, but said that its effects can be mitigated at manageable economic cost provided early and effective action is taken.

He added that the Climate Change Bill commits the UK to stretching emission reduction targets and the Committee will have a vital role in advising how to achieve them.

This expert body will advise on the pathway to 2050 by giving advice on the level of carbon budgets, on how much effort should be made in the UK and overseas and how domestic effort should be spread across the economy.

It will also review the UK's target to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 60 per cent by 2050 to see whether it should be tightened up to 80 per cent, as announced by the Prime Minister last year.

The Committee will also report annually to Parliament and the Devolved Administrations on the UK's progress towards meetings its emissions reduction targets.

Alongside the chair will be five to eight members, bringing together world class experts from the fields of climate science and policy, economics, business and financial management.

British businessman and academic Lord Turner, Baron Turner of Ecchinswell, is currently chairman to the Economic and Social Research Council.

He is also currently a non-executive director for a number of notable business groups including, Standard Chartered plc, United Business Media plc, Siemens plc, Paternoster Ltd and Climate Change Capital.

Turner is a former chair of the Low Pay Commission and Pensions Commission, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and vice chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe.

The Committee on Climate Change is being established as a high-profile independent statutory body.

It will be the first of its kind, bringing together different strands of expertise from the fields of climate science and policy, economics, business competitiveness and financial management.

It will draw on existing information and undertake its own analysis to provide expert advice to Ministers.

The Committee will be sponsored by the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations and will be able to appoint its own staff.

To ensure the Committee is able to provide its advice on the first three carbon budgets by September 2008, as required in the Bill currently before Parliament, the Committee will initially be set up as a "shadow", non-statutory body, with its membership rolling over into the statutory body following Royal Assent.

Related links

• Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs