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UN chief urges action on climate | |
(29 minutes later) | |
UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to act quickly to deal with climate change. | |
He told a gathering of heads of state in New York that a global agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions must be negotiated through the UN. | |
Leaders and representatives of 150 countries are gathered to discuss global warming and how to combat it. | |
Us President George W Bush is not attending. He will host his own meeting on climate change later in the week. | |
Mr Ban told the unprecedented gathering: "If we do not act now, the impact of climate change will be devastating," he said. | |
"We have affordable measures and technologies to begin addressing the problem right now. What we do not have is time." | |
Mr Ban said the United Nations was the appropriate forum to negotiate a global deal on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. | |
The attendance of 150 countries including 80 heads of state and government makes Monday's meeting the most high-level UN gathering on climate change. | The attendance of 150 countries including 80 heads of state and government makes Monday's meeting the most high-level UN gathering on climate change. |
Political impetus | Political impetus |
BBC environment reporter Matt McGrath says Mr Ban hopes the meeting will give impetus to negotiations on global warming due to take place in Bali, Indonesia, in December. | |
Our correspondent says the large turnout of heads of state, plus California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former US Vice-President Al Gore, is likely to reassure the UN that politicians are ready to commit to legally binding reductions on greenhouse emissions. | |
Mr Bush, who does not support binding emission targets, will not take part in the formal discussions but will be joining Mr Ban and other key leaders for dinner. | Mr Bush, who does not support binding emission targets, will not take part in the formal discussions but will be joining Mr Ban and other key leaders for dinner. |
He is due to host a meeting of 16 "major emitter" countries in Washington on Thursday and Friday. |