David Cameron has issued a stark warning over climate change to sceptics within his own party in the wake of the devastating storm which killed hundreds of people in the Philippines.
There is "growing" evidence that climate change is causing such catastrophic events the Prime Minister said, in a call for more preventative steps to be taken.
In a swipe at sceptics, the Prime Minister has called for more action over climate change
More than 3,600 people are confirmed dead after Typhoon Haiyan - one of the biggest on record - swept through last weekend, with the toll expected to rise.
Mr Cameron has announced the Government is to give an extra £30 million in aid to help the Philippines cope with the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan as he said the scale of the disaster is "becoming clearer every day".
Survivors of the typhoon pick through the wreckage
Mr Cameron said even those who doubted the "very certain" message being given by scientists about the impact of greenhouse gases should accept that it was right to take action as insurance against future shocks.
"There's no doubt that there have been an increasing number of severe weather events in recent years," he told reporters during a visit to Sri Lanka.
"I am not a scientist but it's always seemed to me that one of the strongest arguments about climate change is that even if you are 90% certain or 80% certain, or 70% certain - if I said to you that there was a 60% chance your house might burn down, you would take out some insurance.
"I think we should think about climate change like that."
Satellite image of Super Typhoon Haiyan. Credit: U-Wisconsin-CIMSS via Twitter/@Ryan_Maue
Satellite image showing the Super Typhoon. Credit: Facebook/EUMETSAT
Pressure to abandon green measures has been growing as the Government seeks further spending cuts, with figures both outside and inside increasingly vocal on an issue Mr Cameron has publicly championed.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said people should "accept that the climate has been changing for centuries", following the publication of a high-level international report that gave the strongest warning yet of the reality of climate change.
The Prime Minister emphasised that "scientists are giving us a very certain message," and that steps must be taken to counteract the growing concerns over climate change.
"Even if you are less certain than the scientists, it makes sense to take action in terms of trying to prevent and to mitigate," he said.
"I'll leave scientists to speak for themselves about the links between this and other events and climate change.
"The evidence seems to me to be growing.
"As a practical politician I think the sensible thing is to say let's take preventative and mitigating steps given the chances this might be the case."
"I am relieved it is not as catastrophic in its forecast as we had been led to believe early on," he said.
His comments come as the Philippines' lead negotiator at the UN climate summit has said the disaster affecting his nation must act as a push for international action on climate change.
Naderev Sano said: "To anyone who continues to deny the reality that is climate change, I dare you to get off your ivory tower and away from the comfort of your armchair."
