Transcript: U.N. Leader Talks Global Warming
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon calls for immediate action on climate crisis.
BALI, Indonesia, Dec. 13, 2007— -- U.N. Secretary-General Moon sat down with ABC News' Margaret Conley to discuss climate change.
Margaret Conley (MC): Why is the issue of climate change so important?
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (BKM): This is an issue affecting the whole humanity. The world is changing much faster than we have thought. The science has made it quite clear. I have been trying my best to raise the awareness of this very significantly serious issue among the international community. I am encouraged by a very positive mood in this conference. Everybody now feels the seriousness and urgency of this issue. We must take action now.
MC: How serious do you anticipate the effects of climate change to be?
BKM: As you know I have visited myself Antarctica, Andes and the Amazon River. I have seen myself, I was advised by the scientists and it was much more serious. It was very alarming. I have seen myself that the Earth is changing. The glaciers are melting. We have seen much more natural disasters recently. The scientists have made it very clear in unequivocal terms.
MC: Will success here in Bali depend on agreement of text specific guidelines, or cutting greenhouse gas emissions? As you know there is a divide between the UN & EU and the US, Canada and Japan.
BKM: Our goal is to launch the negotiation, a time-bound negotiation for a global agreement by 2009, with a clear agenda for the present and future. We are going to adopt the Bali roadmap, which will be the basis of ongoing negotiations next year and the year after until the end of 2009, that will be regarded as a success.
MC: But it won't need the specifics then to adopt?
BKM: I hope the member states will adopt the decision of the COP13 here in Bali in the form of a Bali roadmap -- that will contain the many important elements, but this is the beginning of the negotiation. Real serious beginning including the quantifiable targets will begin next year.
MC: Today Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer put a clock on tomorrow at 12noon. Do you anticipate success tomorrow?
