U.N. Secretary-General Issues Climate Warning to Business Group

Speaking at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that excessive reliance on fossil-fuels “is destroying our planet’s resources” and called on business leaders to take the lead in developing renewable energy and slowing global warming. Ban told the 700 delegates — members of six business groups concerned about global warming — that “climate change is the defining challenge of our time” and that a December meeting in Copenhagen to forge a climate treaty comes “at a critical moment in human history.” Ban told the businessmen that “you and your colleagues have the ingenuity and vision to lead by example, where others, including governments, are lagging behind.” Earlier, Ban told reporters that while President Obama is making commendable efforts to combat climate change, a draft cap-and-trade bill approved by a congressional committee last week does set sufficiently tough targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.