Posted on 03/02/2007 10:49:17 AM PST by NormsRevenge
UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope Thursday that the "active debate" in the U.S. administration and Congress on global warming will spur the United States to take a leadership role in combatting climate change.
The U.N. chief was addressing a student conference on global warming that brought hundreds of high-schoolers from around the world to the U.N. General Assembly hall.
One student asked what Ban thought about the rejection by President Bush's administration of the Kyoto protocol, a 1997 pact that requires 35 industrial nations to cut their global-warming gases by an average 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
"I have a sense of active discussion within the U.S. government and Congress regarding the Kyoto protocol," Ban said. "And this kind of active debate has helped raise its profile and public interest in climate change."
Ban also said that climate change poses as great of a danger to the world as war.
"The majority of the U.N.'s work still focuses on preventing and ending conflict," Ban said. "But the danger posed by war to all of humanity — and to our planet — is at least matched by the climate crisis and global warming."
The Bush administration argues the Kyoto protocol would hurt the U.S. economy. Instead, the White House says it is spending almost $3 billion a year on energy-technology research and development combat climate change.
Ban, who took over as U.N. chief on Jan. 1, welcomed that effort, but said it's critical that the international community come up with a new strategy to deal with global warming after Kyoto expires in 2012. He added that climate change will be a top priority during his five-year term.
"I hope that the United States — while they have taken a role in innovative technologies as well as promoting cleaner energies — will also take lead in this very important and urgent issue," he said.
After years of arguing that not enough was known about the problem, Bush referred to global warming as an established fact in his State of the Union speech in January, and acknowledged that climate change needed to be addressed.
At a climate change forum in Washington last month, foreign lawmakers said that after hearing from U.S. lawmakers, they sensed a shift in Washington toward greater cooperation with other countries on global warming.
"I am encouraged to know that, in industrialized countries from which leadership is most needed, awareness is growing," Ban told the conference organized by the United Nations International School. "In coming decades, changes in our environment and the resulting upheavals — from droughts to inundated coastal areas to loss of arable land — are likely to become a major driver of war and conflict."
Bush's State of the Union address was the impetus, in part, for a proposal by the U.N. Environment Program to hold a summit on global warming later this year. Ban has not said if he will move forward with a summit.
But he said he would discuss how best to confront the problem with world leaders at a meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized countries in June.
A parched pond is seen in Santiponce, southern Spain January 19, 2006. Governments are making scant progress toward extending a U.N. pact to fight global warming despite mounting public concern about climate change and U.N. warnings it poses a threat as great as war, experts say. (Marcelo del Pozo/Reuters)
O-Tay, Ban-Ki!!
Climate changes.....end of debate.
In a file photo United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon adjusts his glasses during a news conference in Vienna, on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expresses hope that the U.S. will take a leadership role in combatting climate change — which he said poses as much danger to mankind as war and is likely to fuel future conflicts. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
No can do. Climate change is beyond debate. High priest Gore says so.
By this, I guess he means he wants our tax dollars to distribute to the rest of the world to stop the planet from engaging in its normal climatic cycles.
And we know for a fact that the water in that pond is down due to Global Warming?
"Hey Mr. Global Warming Denier, I'm Crushing Your Head."
Uh, Rico, this president took the oath of office in 2001. See his predecessor and his congress for all the reasons for rejecting it.
Ban debate of climate change? Sounds like what's already happening.
Translation:
Food for Oil program is over, UN wants new devices to raise revenue.
The UselessNations continues its downward spiral into irrelevance.
The new Globull Fraud just like Iraqi Sanctions, time for the b-crats to wet their noses...disgusting.
John Bolton on C-Span last night had a good idea....make the funding of the UN voluntary....fund only programs a country wants to fund. Now the US funds almost 25% of the UN crap...
I hope all the dummies on FR who have been this dopes cheerleading cabal choke on this article.
Ban the UN! :0
Never trust a guy with "moon" in his name...
...they want to debate the US on climate change? I'm sorry - their minds are already made up, no amount of talking will cause them to listen...
End the occupation! UN out of Manhattan!
hehe...that one always makes me laugh
somebody send that man the link to the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC showing global warming on MARS!!!
If all man-made sources are deleted it would account for only 4% of all the atmospheric carbon dioxide.
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