In her address to the United States Congress, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made an impassioned appeal for a global environmental policy. Ms Merkel believes no time can be lost in tackling climate change and that it is imperative that the forthcoming conference in Copenhagen ends in real results.

She thanked the people of the US for their help with the reunification of Germany, and mentioned the strong ties between Europe and the US. She also said that Iran should never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons and that Germany would remain in Afghanistan.

The honour of addressing both houses of Congress is reserved for important allies of the US. Ms Merkel is the first German chancellor to be asked to address Congress since Konrad Adenauer in 1957.

photo: Angela Merkel (Flickr/Bertelsmann Stiftung)