It's good to see Sweden urging the European Union to take the lead on the issue of climate change.

The country's prime minister this week said that all of the 27 member states need to have a united policy of safeguarding the ecological future of the world.

Only this, he stated, would give the EU the strength to influence the decisions of other big polluters, such as China and the US.

Sweden has only just taken on the mantle of president of the EU, but prime minster Fredrik Reinfeldt has soared in my estimation already.

The calls for leadership and reduced dependency of fossil fuels are exactly what we need to hear.

"Climate change is happening," Mr Reinfeldt told BBC News.

"It's coming quicker and earlier than we thought."

He's right to say our current way of living is not sustainable, but it is worth saying that -thankfully - more and more people are embracing concepts such as energy saving and buying eco products.

According to a recent study by uSwitch, more than three-quarters of households in the UK are more energy-efficient than they were a year ago.