Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan praised the efforts made by the wine industry in combating climate change, but called on the trade to innovate and invest in new technology. Annan, speaking last night to 800 visitors at Marbella's Climate Change and Wine Conference hosted by the Wine Academy of Spain, said, "some may find it odd to be talking about the wine industry and climate change, despite the effects it is having on every part of our lives". He said that grapes were a particularly vulnerable crop to the effects of climate change, adding that the conference showed the wine industry was worried about the "effects climate change can have on crops, production and costs".