Mr Benn had been invited to speak to Islington residents about the outcome of last December's Climate Change Conference in Bali. At this conference, all the world's nations agreed a roadmap towards a plan for radically reducing carbon emissions.
Mr Benn vividly described the tears, walk-outs and booing that characterised the discussions' final 24 hours. He added that the dramatic atmosphere was so strong that some of the conference's attendees had started to use the nickname ‘Bali-wood'.
The Environment Secretary went on to describe the British Government's Climate Change Bill - the world's first legislative proposal to introduce legally-binding carbon reduction targets. The Bill is currently going through the House of Lords, and it is based on a draft Bill written by Friends of the Earth and sponsored by Emily Thornberry last year.
After speaking about the Government's work, Mr Benn took questions from the audience - speaking to a wide range of topics from carbon trading and low-carbon technology to organic food and livestock. He joked that he had initially had to work on his relationship with the livestock industry - being as he is a vegetarian of 35 years.
After the event, Emily said:
"I'm grateful to Hilary for coming to speak to us about what happened in Bali. It was a dramatic conference and there are tough negotiations ahead - but the outcome was a major step forward. I also very much welcome the Government's recent announcements on wind power - we now need to make sure that local authorities do not oppose building these new windmills. They are our country's lifeline"
