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Ban urges rich nations to increase measures against climate change
May 31, 2007, 17:48 GMT
New York - Developed nations should take additional measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage energy efficiency because the world's atmosphere has the highest concentration of harmful carbon gas in 600,000 years, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.
Ban's appeal came ahead of World Environment Day on June 5, which this year is to focus on the theme 'Melting Ice: A Hot Topic.'
'Society's dependence on fossil fuels is jeopardizing social and economic progress and our future security,' Ban said in a message, emphasizing the need for political will to act on the issue.
'Developed countries in particular can do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage energy efficiency,' he said.
Ban said rich nations should support programmes to curb carbon emissions and clean development should be a priority in fast-growing economies such as Brazil, China and India. Countries that could face the greatest hardships as a result of global warming also need help.
'On this World Environment Day, let us recognize the need to slow the momentum of the dramatic environmental changes we are seeing at the Arctic poles and around the globe, and let us pledge to do our part to fight climate change,' he said.
He said the clearest evidence of climate change can be detected in polar regions, which are warming up at twice the average speed of the rest of the earth. The ice caps at the poles are diminishing and centuries old permafrost is thawing faster than expected.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
So, Its fine to violate UN weapons agreements 17 times and nothing happens like Iraq...You forget about those violations?...Un is worthless and nobody respects them. Start reading you Koran and get ready...You wont have to worry about global warming soon. You be missing Bush...the only one to stand up to terrorists so poeple like you can worry about cyclical warming...
29 May 07 - Argentina rationed
electricity to companies and severed natural gas supplies to Chile as a cold wave prompted
record demand for electricity.
The temperature in many parts of Argentina fell below freezing yesterday, pushing electricity
demand to a record 18,300 megawatts, according to the country's energy regulator.
About 100 schools in Buenos Aires province are closed today for lack of sufficient heating
'To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change,' Griffin said.
'First of all, I don't think it's within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown,' he continued. 'And second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take.'
page: 1
AndrewMay 31st, 2007 - 18:45:36
Is the message finally getting through ?
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