"Our world is in a grip of a dangerous carbon habit," Secretary-General Ban Ki-m oon said in his message for the Day, which is observed annually on 5 June.
"Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny impor tant truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions," he added in his statement released in Accra by the UN Information Centre.
The main celebrations for the Day – whose theme this year is "Kick the Habit: To wards a Low Carbon Economy" – are being hosted by New Zealand, one of five countries that have pledged to become "climate neutral".
Mr. Ban stressed that global warming was becoming the defining issue of the era and would hurt the rich and poor alike.
"Mitigating climate change, eradicating poverty and promoting economic and polit ical stability all demand the same solution: we must kick the carbon habit," he stated.
Earlier Mr. Ban joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the launch of t he "Together" campaign, an initiative of the Climate Group – an international charity dedicated to working with big business and government to help solve climate change.
Speaking at the event, the Secretary-General said that climate change was "too big a challenge" for any country, corporation, or community to address alone.
He added that initiatives such as the "Together" campaign make it clear that individuals can halve their daily carbon emissions through some very simple measures.
"Each one of us can take steps that will make a difference. And if we all begin to act, our collective actions will make a big difference," he stated.
Earlier this year, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) launched a climate neutral network of corporations, cities and companies, known as CNNet, to energize the growing trend towards carbon neutrality.
"If we are to move the global economy to a greener and cleaner one, a sharp reduction in the inefficient use of fossil fuels allied to an increased up take of renewable energy must be at the centre of the international response," said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
He noted that the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that greening the global economy might cost as little as a few tenths of global gross domestic product (GDP) annually over the next 30 years.
"It will also be a driving force for innovation, new businesses and industries a nd employment opportunities across the developed and developing worlds," he added .
Accra - 06/06/2008
Pana
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