25 June 2009 | Luca Del Buono

 

On Tuesday, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon invited world leaders to an "unprecedented" Summit on Climate Change at UN Headquarters for Heads of State and Government from every country in the world.

The focus of the day-long event will be to mobilize the political will needed to "Seal a Deal" at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on 7-18 December.

During the week of the Summit, 21-25 September, New York City will host "Climate Week NYC" - five days of cultural events, workshops, seminars and other activities organized by NGOs, businesses, artists, and academia, reinforcing the call for urgent action in Copenhagen and beyond on climate change.

While the Summit will serve to generate momentum at the highest political level, Climate Week will mobilize a wide cross-section of civil society - not just in New York, but around the world - in support of a new climate deal.

Speaking at a press conference with Mr. Bloomberg, Mr. Ban said he was joining forces with the city and non-governmental organizations to launch this important initiative.

"Climate change is the greatest challenge facing this and future generations." Citing the world's leading scientists, he stressed that there are fewer than 10 years left to stop rising emissions in order to avoid "catastrophic" problems. "Now is the time for action," he emphasized.

The Secretary General highlighted the significance of reaching a climate agreement in December.

"If we are to 'seal a deal' in Copenhagen, we need to be bold and ambitious and visionary. And therefore we need the full support and commitment of the visionary global leaders at the highest level," he stressed.

The UN can galvanize support for climate change action, but ultimately, Mr. Ban said, it is the world's parliaments, presidents, prime ministers, governors and mayors who must take bold measures to tackle climate change.

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Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

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