NEW DELHI -- Greenpeace on Thursday warned of worsening hunger and flood situations if there is further delay by governments to take action to check global climate change.

"The scientific scenarios are not optimistic but the world faces dire consequences unless governments stop complaining about the costs of implementing the Kyoto Protocol," said Steve Sawyer, Greenpeace climate policy director.

In a statement at the ongoing climate conference in New Delhi, Sawyer said that it is likely that there will be 50-120 million more people at risk of hunger as crop yields drop in regions affected by more drought conditions.

According to DPA, Greenpeace urged governments not only to implement the Kyoto Protocol immediately, but also be prepared to cut emissions even more than "this first minimal step".

The protocol envisages the reduction of greenhouse gases by industrialized states by 5.2 percent below the 1990 level by 2012.

Earlier Thursday, German Environment Minister Juergen Trittin said the viewpoint that ratifying the Kyoto Protocol would adversely affect economy was misplaced.

"To this I have a simple answer. The most expensive and the greatest harm to economy is if we fail on combating climate change," Trittin said during his speech at the climate conference in New Delhi.

Trittin addressed delegates just after American under-secretary Paula Dobriansky had reiterated her government's views on climate change policies.

She said that economic growth was important for progress on the environmental front and if the U.S. economy was burdened it would impact other people in the world also.

Meanwhile, Tritten also added that Germany had already reduced emissions by 19 percent as compared to 1990 and was committed to double these efforts.

He added that Germany was ready to reduce its emissions by 40 percent by 2020 if other industrialized nations go along.

The first round of ministerial meetings, which began on Wednesday, saw divided opinions between the developed and developing world on who was to take on greater onus of the mitigation of green house gases to control climatic change.

The "high-level" segment at the climate conference moved into its second day of deliberations on Thursday, with negotiations continuing on the text of the Delhi declaration, scheduled to be released on Friday.