Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is currently serving as a Middle East envoy, has now turned his attention to addressing climate change by proposing a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2050. Blair recently traveled to Tokyo to introduce his climate change initiative and plans to visit China and India in the coming week to discuss his proposals with the world's two largest developing economies. He emphasized the need for a new global agreement centered around significant emissions reductions, stating that the challenge lies in determining the specifics of such a deal. Blair is actively working on this issue, as he mentioned in a video on his website, www.tonyblairoffice.org. Blair, speaking to the Guardian newspaper, stated that he plans to suggest reducing emissions by 50% by the year 2050. He emphasized the urgency of this goal and stressed the importance of reaching a global agreement that includes both America and China. Blair's efforts to achieve a 50 percent cut in greenhouse gases have the backing of the United States and European Union, according to his spokesman Matthew Doyle. While they have not yet officially agreed to the proposal, Blair has discussed the project with leaders such as U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Blair emphasized the importance of reaching an agreement on reducing greenhouse gases within two years, warning that failure to take significant action by 2020 would shift focus to adaptation rather than prevention. He also noted that simply telling people to consume less would not be enough to make progress, as countries like China and India are determined to grow their economies. He mentioned that there are many extremely impoverished individuals in the country, but they are working towards industrialization and improving their living conditions, which is a positive step. After serving as prime minister for 10 years, Blair has become an envoy for the Quartet, promoting economic growth for Palestinians. Despite facing backlash for taking on profitable business ventures and public speaking engagements, one of his recent business endeavors includes assisting Zurich Financial Services in creating insurance products to combat the impacts of climate change.