Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton has urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Tories to take some steps to curb climate change before the federal budget, expected in March.

Layton, speaking to about 600 delegates at the Manitoba NDP's annual convention in Winnipeg, said Harper and his Conservatives should waste no time in taking action, warning that their government would be in a more precarious position after the budget expected on March 20.

"I think Mr. Harper is simply going to have to change direction," Layton said. "Surely it's time for him to abandon his somewhat ideological grip on old views and take a new approach."

The government could pass legislation in the next few weeks to set fuel efficiency standards for vehicles and put limits on industrial pollution, Layton said.

The NDP leader said there is an urgency to the issue of climate change and the government could use that sense of urgency to build support for attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

On Friday, a report released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 2,500 scientists from more than 130 countries, said climate changes are "very likely" caused by human activity.

Harper said after the release of the report that the government is taking the latest warnings "very seriously" and it has every intention of doing something. "We must act," he said at a news conference.

The Tories' Clean Air Act, proposed legislation designed to deal with greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, is currently being reworked by a special legislative committee.

Harper's government has said it is the centrepiece of its green plan, but opposition parties have said it needs overhauling.

Layton said he would rather bring about change through Parliament than bring down the government.

With files from the Canadian Press