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The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has urged its members to lobby their MPs to force the Government to take action now.

Climate Change on the Millennial Timescale released on 16 February by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Environment Agency, is the first study to comprehensively examine impacts beyond the end of this century. The report implies that the UK will need to make major emissions reductions over the next couple of decades as part of a global effort to prevent abrupt climate changes.< www.tyndall.ac.uk>Environment Agency Chief Executive, Barbara Young, said the new research showed that the next 25 years are crucial in making tough decisions on reducing the impacts of climate change.

The Mass Balance Project Report, launched on 28 February at the House of Commons, has been five years in the making at a cost of £10m and examines the impact that 63 separate geographical regions and industry sectors in the UK have on the environment. It calls for action in managing our resources by measuring their flow through our economy.

Produced by the Biffaward landfill tax credit fund, the report seeks to demonstrate to Government the structure that can be implemented for gathering information on resource use, which will help inform future waste and environmental policy.< www.massbalance.org>Unfortunately, there is currently no systematic approach to measure this data, which means that the UK and Europe is unable to properly account for resource use and waste. Peter Jones, spokesperson for Biffaward said: "As an economy as little as 2% of input resources by mass are retained after six months. The rest emerge as waste to air, ground and water."On 8 March, nearly 400 engineers turned out in at Reading University for a debate with energy experts. Interest in the event, chaired by BP engineering director and IMechE Fellow, John Baxter, spiralled and organisers had to close the doors early. IMechE president Andrew Ives, said: "Whichever way we go, it is likely we will have a growing reliance on gas to a greater or lesser extent, however, the timely release of the Government's Energy Review is the perfect opportunity for this country's professional engineers to take a stance and encourage our MPs to back a long term strategy for energy in this country - which we lack."< www.imeche.org.uk>After a lively debate and key note speeches by energy experts, IMechE engineers unanimously voted the Government is not doing enough to avert an energy crisis.