UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today asked all countries to take practical steps to deal with the impact of global warming, saying that adaptation to the impact of climate change is an "essential investment in our common future".
Ban said cutting greenhouse gas emissions and trying to mitigate climate change should only be one part of the global response to the issue.
"We must get serious about adaptation and we must do so now. Adaptation is both a practical need and a moral imperative," he said in a speech in front of senior Mongolian Government officials in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
He emphasised that many of the people who are bearing the brunt of climate change are those who can least afford it or who contributed least to the problem, such as the citizens of landlocked developing countries like Mongolia, where desertification and extreme weather conditions are increasing threats.
"Expanding deserts suffocate livelihoods and a way of life. The degradation of vital pasture lands directly affects Mongolia's economy and culture. And you are not alone. You are part of the one third of the world's population – two billion people – who are potential victims of desertification," he said.
Any climate change deal reached at global talks in Copenhagen in Denmark this December must include provisions where affluent nations provide assistance to vulnerable and poorer States to adapt, Ban said.
"Billions in public financing will be required. There must be new money, not just re-packaged official development assistance (ODA). We must invest in making our communities more resilient and in reducing our vulnerability to natural disasters. And we must invest in the ecosystems that sustain us," he said.
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Ban outlined a series of practical steps that he said must be taken, starting with the gathering of more detailed scientific data on climate impact so that authorities can target resources where they can do the most good.
The UN chief called for a reduction in disaster risk wherever possible, noting that in countries such as Bangladesh, Cuba and Vietnam, "it has proven to be among the most cost-effective investments the world can make."
He cited the planting of mangrove trees on unprotected coastlines and the boost of community education and evacuation plans as relatively inexpensive ways in disaster risk can be reduced.
Ban also said that the world needs to "green" its development efforts so that "climate resilience, sustainability and low-carbon growth become the foundations of future prosperity."