European Union’s climate actions could be economic boon, Ban says

Proposed European Union (EU) proposals on tackling climate change could also be a boon for the economy, generating millions of new jobs at a time when the world is suffering from the financial crisis, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

In a statement, Mr. Ban voiced his deep concern over the effects of the financial crisis on the developing world, especially the world’s poorest, and called for unrelenting efforts to address global warming.

“One crisis must not become an obstacle to action on another,” he said.

The Secretary-General urged the EU to continue providing leadership on climate changes, noting recent decisions taken at its summit in Brussels, Belgium, and expressed hope that it will conclude its package that could spur “green” growth and create many new jobs.

He also encouraged industrialized countries to step up their financing of clean technology and assistance to developing nations to adapt to climate change.

“The climate meeting in Poznan, Poland, offers a chance to send precisely the right signal,” the statement said, referring to the next set of talks scheduled for December. “I very much hope that world leaders will seize the opportunity.”

Nations will converge in Copenhagen, Denmark, later next year to wrap up negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions and conclude a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, whose first commitment period ends in 2012.