ANTARCTICA: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urges urgent political action to tackle global warming during visit

Record ID: 562518

  • Title: ANTARCTICA: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urges urgent political action to tackle global warming during visit
  • Date: 10th November 2007
  • Summary: GLACIER SEEN THROUGH PLANE WINDOW
  • Embargoed: 25th November 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Antarctica
  • Country: Antarctica
  • Topics: International Relations,Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVAETMUE06TIDU54PTY8PRXESF9Y
  • Story Text: United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Friday (November 9) for urgent political action to tackle global warming.
    He spoke during a tour of three scientific bases on the Antarctic continent, where temperatures are their highest in about 1,800 years.
    It was the first visit by a U.N. chief to Antarctica.
    Ban flew over melting ice fields in a light plane, where vast chunks of ice floated off the coast after breaking away from ice shelves.
    "All we have seen today can be very impressive and beautiful, extraordinarily beautiful. But at the same time it is disturbing too. Look at around here, you have seen and you have observed with your own eyes the melting of the glaciers," Ban said.
    Antarctica has warmed faster than anywhere else on Earth in the last 50 years. Its ice sheets are nearly 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) thick on average, but scientists say they are already showing signs of climate change.
    The West Antarctic ice sheet is thinning and may even collapse in the future, causing sea levels to rise.
    Ban said scientists had told him the entire western Antarctica, composed of a fifth of the total continent, is now afloat. If the ice breaks up, the sea level may rise as much as 6 metres. 18 feet. This is very alarming. I'm not here to frighten you. I'm here to act as a messenger to all of you, warning you about climate change," Ban said.
    Ban urged countries to respond to scientific warnings.
    "This is an emergency and for emergency situation we need emergency act, then we need to have political answers from the leaders,"
    Ban said.
    The secretary-general has made climate change a priority since he took office earlier this year.
    Ban said he is planning more environmental trips to examine the effects of global warming.
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