Two birds with one stone. Climate change and development

Tuesday, 18 August 2009 08:17

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an academic forum in Seoul today (17 August) that the transition to a low-carbon economy would be difficult, but it would also yield great benefits across the spectrum of human activity.  “We can catch two birds -- climate change and economic growth -- with just one stone,” Mr. told the University Presidents’ Forum on Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Asia and Africa, at Korea University in Seoul. 

Mr. Ban added: “Because addressing climate change will not only promote a cleaner environment; it can also foster sustainable global growth.” He pointed out that many  leaders around the world understood and embraced this fact.  The Republic of Korea had, as an example dedicated some 80 per cent of the country’s $38 billion national fiscal stimulus plan  to green measures. 

 “When you invest in green technology or make your operations more energy efficient, you show that what is good for the environment is also good for the bottom line.

 And here is the real bottom line:  economic prosperity in the twenty-first century will belong to those who are the first to take the low-carbon path,” Mr. Ban said in his speech in Seoul. (Source: UN)