Ban calls for accelerated action at Copenhagen’s climate talks
(Dec.16,2009): United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, arrived Copenhagen
on Tuesday, to inject fresh energy into the climate change talks. Ban exhorted
nations to seal the deal on an ambitious new agreement, warning that the well-being
of all of the world’s people is at stake. The two-week summit under way in the Danish
capital is “as momentous as the negotiations that created our great United Nations
from the ashes of war more than 60 years ago,” Ban said at the opening of the conference’s
high-level segment. With the two-week summit set to wrap up on Friday, Ban stressed
that nations cannot be allowed to fail. He urged countries to put aside their “maximalist”
negotiating positions and unreasonable demands. Time is running out, he said, and
there is no time left for posturing or blaming. Every country must do its part to
seal a deal in Copenhagen. We do not have another year to negotiate, as Nature does
not negotiate” Ban added. Over 130 heads of State and government have confirmed
their participation at conference, a clear proof that climate change has risen to
the top of the global agenda,” Ban noted. But he acknowledged that all leaders coming
to Copenhagen face domestic pressures. “No one will get everything they want in this
negotiation. But if we work together and get a deal, everyone will get what they need,”
said the UN Secretary General.