Is this a sign of things to come worldwide?

Green pressure groups in Britain are now pushing for a change in the listing rules which would require companies floating on the London Stock Exchange to disclose their carbon emissions, reports The Observer.

Environmental campaigners say companies with heavy exposure to fossil fuels face significant risks and investors should be allowed to make an informed choice.

Five years ago, this sort of demand would have been very much on the margin. But green issues are no longer the preserve of tree huggers. With the smell of money in the air, the financial world has started endorsing environmentally-significant industries and measures, as revealed by The Sunday Times. Players include Morgan Stanley, HSBC, BSkyB and a host of others.

All this comes in the lead-up to a landmark report to be released next week. The document, prepared by a former chief economist with the World Bank, and commissioned by the British Government, which warns that climate change could tip the world into the worst global recession in recent history, as reported by The Guardian.

The report by Sir Nicholas Stern warns that climate change will cost the world £3.68 trillion (US$7 trillion) unless the problem is tackled within the next 10 years and calls for a global framework to handle the issue, everything from green taxes to measures on carbon trading, according to The Observer.