United States (UN) Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has expressed hopes U.S. President-elect Donald Trump would drop plans to quit a global accord aimed at weaning the world off fossil fuels.
Ki-Moon was speaking on Tuesday at Conference of Parties (COP22), a meeting of almost 200 nations in Morocco to work out ways to implement the 2015 Paris agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions
The UN Scribe, who said action on climate change had become “unstoppable”, hoped Trump would “evaluate” his position on it.
Trump had previously said he would withdraw U.S. from Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Ki-moon said market forces were already pushing the world economy towards cleaner energies.
He said U.S. companies, states and cities were all pushing to limit global warming.
“What was once unthinkable has become unstoppable,” he said, adding Paris Agreement, agreed by governments last year, ratified in record time and formally adopted by more than 100 nations including the U.S.
Australia has signed the Paris Agreement, and the Federal Government said it would ratify the agreement despite concerns Trump would withdraw support.
The accord, aimed to phase out net greenhouse gas emissions this century.
It was a breakthrough after more than two decades of negotiations, driven by increased scientific certainty that man-made emissions drive heat waves, floods and rising sea levels.
Ki-Moon hoped Trump, elected last Tuesday, would drop his view that man-made climate change was a hoax and his pledge to cancel the Paris Agreement.
“I am sure he will make a quick, wise decision,” he said, stressing climate change was having severe impacts from the Arctic to Antarctica.
He noted this year was on track to be the warmest year since records began in the 19th century.
“A host of countries have ratified the Paris climate agreement and Australia seems likely to do so — here’s how we got to this stage.
“Hope he will really hear and understand the severity and urgency of addressing climate change.
“As president of the U.S. I hope he understands this, listens and evaluates his campaign remarks,” he said.
He said companies, including General Mills and Kellogg, states such as California and cities such as Washington, Nashville and Las Vegas were working to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
He said Trump was a “very successful business person” and would understand that market forces were already acting to push the world economy towards cleaner energies, away from fossil fuels.
Ki-Moon, who will step down at the end of the year after a decade in charge of the UN, has made action on climate change a core issue of his time in office.
