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July 2007
President George W. Bush welcomed UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the Oval Office today to discuss climate
change, issues concerning Darfur, plans for an upcoming Middle East
conference, and also United Nation plans in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Speaking with reporters after their meeting Ban said, "On climate change,
which is very important issue for all humankind, I appreciate President
Bush's initiative during Heiligendamm G8 summit meeting."
At the German resort town of Heiligendamm in June, all eight
industrialized nations agreed to "substantial" greenhouse gas emissions
cuts by 2050 to be achieved as part of a United Nations process, and all
acknowledged that global warming is largely the result of human activity,
as the latest UN backed scientific report states.
Ban said today, "I extended an official invitation to President Bush today
to attend, to participate in a high-level UN debate on climate change,
which will be held on September 24th. Your participation will be very much
appreciated and I'm looking forward to welcoming you to New York."
In his remarks, President Bush did not mention climate change, nor did he
say whether or not he would participate in the September 24 UN debate.
Bush focused instead on the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Darfur.
At a press conference in New York Monday, Ban said he was encouraged by
the expectations surrounding the high-level meeting on climate change
which he will convene on September 24 during the General Assembly sessions
at UN Headquarters.
The secretary-general said he intends to use that opportunity to generate
necessary political will "to give strong political impact and guidelines
to the forthcoming Bali meeting."
The UN climate change conference set for December 3 to 14 in Bali,
Indonesia is expected to be the forum for talks on a global agreement
limiting greenhouse gas emissions that would take effect after the current
Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
Meanwhile, UN climate change discussions continue.
On July 31 and August 1, UN General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Al
Khalifa will convene an informal thematic debate on the topic of climate
change as a global challenge at UN Headquarters in New York.
On the first day, two interactive panel discussions will be held in the
Trusteeship Council Chamber - one on climate change: the science, the
impact and the adaptation imperative, and the other on mitigation
strategies in the context of sustainable development.
On the second day there will be a discussion open to all in which UN
Member States will make statements about their national strategies and
international commitments to address climate change.
Introducing the informal debate, the United Nations sets forth its case
for seriousness of the climate change crisis.
"The average global temperature rose by 0.74°C during last century. This
is the largest and fastest warming trend in the history of the Earth that
scientists have been able to discern," the UN says.
"Current projections show that trend will continue and will accelerate.
The best estimate indicates that the Earth could warm by 3°C during the
21st Century."
"Scientists are now certain that most of the change is due to human
activities that emit greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases, of which CO2
[carbon dioxide] is the most important, trap heat in the Earth’s
atmosphere, leading to the overall rise of global temperatures, which are
liable to disrupt natural climate patterns."
Finally, the UN says, "Eleven of the last 12 years rank among the 12
warmest in the last 150 years. The warming trend has already affected all
continents and oceans."
In addition, the secretary-general earlier this month launched the
Business Leadership Platform "Caring for Climate," a joint project with
the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, WBCSD, and the UN
Environment Programme, UNEP.
Ban invited business executives participating in the Global Compact
Leaders Summit July 5-6 in Geneva to sign on to the statement, "Caring for
Climate: The Business Leadership Platform."
Signatories to the statement, including 30 from the Fortune Global 500,
commit their companies to "taking practical actions to increase the
efficiency of energy usage and to reduce the carbon burden of products,
services and processes, to set voluntary targets for doing so, and to
report publicly on the achievement of those targets annually." Reporting
begins in July 2008.
They also commit to dealing with the climate issue strategically and they
undertake to work collaboratively with other enterprises on a sector basis
and along their global supply chains, taking joint initiatives to reduce
climate risks.
Georg Kell, executive director of the UN Global Compact, called the
statement, "a unique and significant business initiative, as it is both a
call to governments and a commitment to action by business itself, coupled
with an undertaking to communicate progress annually."
According to the statement, business leaders expect from government the
"urgent creation, in close consultation with the business community and
civil society, of comprehensive, long-term and effective legislative and
fiscal frameworks designed to make markets work for the climate, in
particular policies and mechanisms intended to create a stable price for
carbon."
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, said, "Climate change is shaping
global markets and global consumer attitudes. There will be winners and
losers. Companies who seize the opportunities, who adopt environmental,
social and governance policies and who evolve, innovate and respond to
these challenges are likely to be the pioneers and industry leaders of the
21st century."
Said WBCSD President Bjorn Stigson, "We do possess realistic options for
solutions. These include technologies that can create a more
resource-efficient economy and can eliminate the waste from resource use,
such as carbon capture and storage."
Caring for Climate: The Business Leadership Platform has been well
accepted, with 100 large corporations, including such giants as ABB,
Coca-cola, Dupont, Japan Airlines, Lafarge, Rio Tinto, and Unilever as
well as 53 small and mid-sized business signing on in the first month.
Ban will continue his discussions on climate change, which he described as
an issue "close to my heart" when he makes an official visit on July 26
and 27 to San Francisco – the birthplace of the United Nations.
Together with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ban will tour
local businesses in the Bay Area that are using green technologies. He
said, "I look forward to seeing first-hand how California leads the world
on this issue of supreme importance."
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