Global Climate Change Deal Can’t be Signed without China

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said there can be no global climate change deal without China's support.

Photo: Global Climate Change Deal Can’t be Signed without China

Speaking in Beijing, he also praised China's efforts so far to promote sustainable economic growth and develop renewable energy sources, BBC News reports.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the Chinese government must make it a priority to foster sustainable, green and low-emissions development in order to battle climate change and to set an example for developing countries and the rest of the world,

He was speaking at The Green Lights Project to promote the use energy-saving lamps across China.

"Without China, there can be no success this year on a new global climate framework," said Ban, The Canadian Press reports.

"But with China there is an enormous potential for the world to seal a deal in Copenhagen."

Ban will oversee a UN summit in the Danish capital in December aimed at hammering out a new climate change pact to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that are blamed for global warming.

While Ban stopped short of explicitly urging China to commit to new emissions curbs, he called on Beijing to seize the initiative.

"Strong signals from China on mitigation actions announced before Copenhagen will help push the negotiating process forward. They can also direct responsibility to other key countries to do more," he said.

China and other developing nations are opposed to any compulsory cuts in their emissions, saying the responsibility for solving the problem rests with the developed countries that have polluted for so long.

But Ban noted that China was a top world emitter of greenhouse gases and said Beijing should play a leadership role on climate change commensurate with its rising global status.

"With global power comes global responsibility," Ban said, AFP reports.