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September 26, 2007
NATIONAL action will not be enough to halt climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned, calling on all nations to join the UN process to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. "The time for doubt has passed," Mr Ban told the meeting in New York, the biggest-ever gathering of world leaders on climate change.
More than half of the 150 countries attending the one-day summit were represented by their head of state or government leader, with Australia represented by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. "What we do about it will define us, our era, and ultimately the global legacy we leave for future generations," Mr Ban said.
He said a breakthrough was needed at a key conference taking place in Indonesia in December to set a strategy for action against climate change after the first phase of the UN's Kyoto Protocol runs out at the end of 2012. "Given the nature and magnitude of the challenge, national action alone is insufficient," Mr Ban said. "That is why we need to confront climate change within a global framework, one that guarantees the highest level of international co-operation."
His comments seemed to be pointed at the US and other countries, including Australia, which are attending a separate US-convened climate-change meeting in Washington later this week. President George Bush said his meeting of 15 "major emitter" countries including China, Australia, the European Union and the UN, was designed to feed into the UN processes later this year, but environmental groups remain sceptical of his motives. The EU is calling for the Indonesia talks to agree to reduce global emissions to at least 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.
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