Professor Flannery, speaking to 250 guests at a Western Sydney Business Connection luncheon at the Crowne Plaza in Parramatta last Thursday, said that electric cars ``will be with us sooner than anyone thinks''.

``Nissan and Passat are bringing out four models in Europe next year and a project called Better Place has devised an ingenious business model for zero-emissions driving,'' he said.

``I am certain electric cars will be a major feature of most of the world's cities within one or two decades.''

Professor Flannery said he first became aware of climate change while working as a biologist in remote mountains in Papua New Guinea ``a decade or so ago''.

``I noticed the treeline was advancing up the mountainside, but over three or four months realised this was a universal pattern and that change was happening very fast,'' he said.

Professor Flannery has published several books on climate change and global warming, most recently The Weather Makers, and has been travelling the world to rally support for the UN Climate Change Conference, to be held in Copenhagen next month.

He said it was vital that businesses had a strong voice in the debate over how to tackle climate change.

Professor Flannery said even though he believed Australia's proposed emission trading legislation was flawed, he supported it because it was essential to go to the conference with a carbon-trading scheme in place.

He said it was disappointing that it appeared the US would not have its own such legislation in place before the Copenhagen conference, because this would make progress difficult to achieve.

``Cap and trade is indispensable to the negotiations,'' he said.

``We will be lucky to get a 15per cent emissions cap out of Copenhagen.''