Secretary-General Urges Countries to Reach Climate Agreement Swiftly

As Report Confirms World ‘Largely Ill-prepared’ for Risks

The following statement was issued by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today:

The Secretary-General welcomes the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report on the impacts of climate change that was released today in Yokohama, Japan.  The report confirms that the effects of human-caused climate change are already widespread and consequential, affecting agriculture, human health, ecosystems on land and in the oceans, water supplies, and some industries.  The report concludes that at present, the world is largely ill-prepared for climate-related risks. 

Managing the risks of climate change will be increasingly difficult with higher levels of warming.   To reduce these risks, substantial reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions must be made, along with smart strategies and actions to improve disaster preparedness and reduce exposure to events caused by climate change.  The Secretary-General urges all countries to act swiftly and boldly at every level, to bring ambitious announcements and actions to the Climate Summit on 23 September 2014 and to make every effort needed to reach a global legal climate agreement by 2015.

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For information media • not an official record