UN Secretary-General says action needed on climate change

There were over 100 world leaders present at the United Nations headquarters in New York today when the UN Secretary-General spoke. The world leaders are gathered, just less than 80 days before this December’s climate change conference in Copenhagen. The December gathering is designed so the leaders can make work out new agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions that would go into effect in 2012 when the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period expires. The UN press release advises the Secretary-General had made a trip to the Arctic ice rim earlier this month where he witnessed the rapid impact of climate change. Today, Ban Ki-moon expressed his regrets about the “glacial” speed of negotiations and urged leaders to take “the long view” to meet their people’s needs. “Climate change is the pre-eminent geopolitical and economic issue of the 21st century,” the release quotes Ban Ki-moon as saying. "It rewrites the global equation for development, peace and security.” The Secretary-General also said those who say addressing global warming comes at too high a price tag are missing the point. “They are wrong,” he said. “The opposite is true. We will pay an unacceptable price if we do not act now.” Ban Ki-moon said it's up to developed nations to take the first steps forward, and the developing nations must also take action. “All countries must do more – now.” President Barack Obama of the United States, President Mohamed Nasheed of Maldives, President Hu Jintao of China, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of Sweden, President Óscar Arias Sánchez of Costa Rica, and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France spoke at the opening session of today’s gathering.