UN Chief Calls for Efforts to Fight With Climate Change
United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon recently called for prompt action to cope with the looming disaster due to global warming. ``We all agree climate change is real, and we humans are its chief cause. Yet even now few people fully understand the gravity of the threat, or its immediacy,'' Ban said in a newspaper column. He said he is not a scare mongering and warned humans are nearing a tipping point. ``These are signs. I saw them everywhere I visited,'' Ban said after visiting Antarctica. He warned if the icebergs continue to melt down the world's coastlines and cities, including New York, Mumbai and Shanghai, not to mention small island nations, will face disaster.
In a similar context, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that 20 percent to 30 percent of living creatures will begin to disappear if the earth's temperature climbs by 1.5 to 2.5 degrees centigrade. It said emissions of carbon dioxide need to begin to decrease at least from the year 2020 and reach 50 percent to 60 percent of that in 2000 by 2050.
The IPPCC's report deserves keen attention as it summarizes in-depth research over the past six years. It was adopted in the 27th general assembly held in Valencia in Spain Nov. 17. The report will be used as basic data for the creation of a new anti-climate change regime to replace the current Kyodo Protocol that expires in 2012. Ban called for stepped up endeavors to address global warming as suggested by the IPCC report.
Under the Kyodo Protocol signed in 1997, 38 industrial nations mostly in Europe and Japan agreed to decrease green house gas emissions by 8 percent by the year 2012 and the nations which failed to meet the standard should forfeit emission rights. The United States has yet to sign the protocol, while Korea is not obliged to decrease emissions as it is still classified as a developing nation. Global warming has become ever serious with China and India, whose combined population exceeds 2 billion, having ushered in their industrial ages. They have become major consumers of oil and other commodities. The two nations are advised to come up with measures to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions to ensure sustainable development at a global level.
But what matters most is the United States which emits the largest amount of carbon dioxide as the largest importer of oil at a cost of $500 billion per year. We believe now it is time for the U.S. to roll up its sleeves to find a solution to climate change in a more proactive manner. It needs to sign the protocol immediately to join global efforts toward that end. Korea also needs to brace for the looming disaster through the development of alternative energy resources, in particular. In this vein, POSCO's recent construction of a 120 billion won eco-friendly cell plant draws attention. The plant, once completed, will contribute to the relief of climate change, while producing 100 megawatts of power per year.
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