UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged world leaders to create a global framework to promote green economics and development.
In an op-ed (opinion-editorial) article published in The Washington Post newspaper as the UN Climate Change Conference opened in Bali, Indonesia, Ban said the conference is an opportunity for leaders to establish a road map for the future and to agree on a timeline to conclude a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol -- set to expire in 2012 -- by next year so that it can enter into force in 2013.
"At Bali, the goal is simpler and more immediate," he said. "We must set an agenda -- create a road map to a better future, coupled with a timeline that produces a deal by 2009."
"In this, it helps to have a vision of how the future might look if we succeed," Ban said, emphasizing that it is not merely a cleaner, healthier and more secure world for all.
"Handled correctly, our fight against global warming could set the stage for an eco-friendly transformation of the global economy- one that spurs growth and development rather than crimps it, as many nations fear," he noted.
The UN chief said like the industrial revolution, the technology revolution and the modern era of globalization, the world is on the cusp of a new age of green economics.
He hailed China's efforts to confront grave environmental problems, citing an investment of 10 billion U.S. dollars in renewable energy this year as well as wide use of solar and power in China.
Ban said that rather than suffer from a transition to a green economy, growth may in fact gain momentum through the creation of new jobs as investment in zero-greenhouse gas energy surges.
The UN Environment Program (UNEP) has estimated that global investment in zero-greenhouse energy will reach 1.9 trillion dollars by 2020 -- a figure the Secretary-General called "seed money for a wholesale reconfiguration of global industry."
The private sector requires ground rules and is calling for policies on climate change, including regulation, emissions caps and efficiency guidelines, he said.
"The scientists have done their job," declared the UN chief, who is attending the conference's high-level segment next week. "Now it's up to the politicians. Bali is a test of their leadership."
Source: Xinhua
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