UN chief: Heavy lifting needed to combat climate change

From the tropics to the poles, from small islands to large continents, and from the poorest countries to the wealthiest, the ominous signs of climate change are profoundly visible, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday, calling for transformative collective action to tackle the phenomenon now on all fronts before it is too late. "My objective has been to impress on member states, the world of business, and the public at large that climate change is an obstacle to the future security, prosperity, and sustainable development of humankind," Ban told the Friends of Europe Policy Spotlight, held at the Bibliotheque Solvay, in Brussels. While noting that it is vitally important for the international community to work together to tackle political and security challenges in Syria, the Central African Republic, and other crisis hotspots, the U.N. chief said that "we must look beyond the horizon and build the long-term foundations of peace … these too are life and death undertakings." Human activities are the principal cause. We must act on what we know and take urgent steps before it is too late. The problem is global and everyone has a role to play," Ban said.