UN calls for urgent action to combat climate change

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on world leaders to take urgent action to combat climate change for the sake of "the future of humanity."

Mr Ban, on a tour of Svalbard, the remote Norwegian-controlled Arctic archipaelago, said the region might have no ice within 30 years if present climate trends persisted.

He is trying to drum up support for a comprehensive accord to limit emissions of greenhouse gases at a UN summit in Copenhagen in December. The accord will be a successor to the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

"I would like to draw the attention (of) the world, for urgent action to be taken at Copenhagen ... We do not have much time to lose," Mr Ban told reporters aboard a Norwegian coastguard vessel.

He said he wants leaders "to agree a global deal that is comprehensive, equitable and balanced for the future of humanity and the future of planet earth".

The Copenhagen talks aim to agree tough limits on emissions, to keep climate change at a manageable level, and a mechanism by which technology to reduce emissions is efficiently transferred from rich to developing states.

Mr Ban said that Arctic ice was disappearing faster than glaciers in other parts of the world, quickly removing the reflective white shield that prevents the earth's north and south polar regions from absorbing more of the sun's energy.

Risks and how to limit damage

Disaster risks

Between 1991 and 2005, natural disasters killed 960,000 people and economic losses totalled $1.19 trillion. Nine out of 10 natural disasters in the past 50 years have been caused by extreme weather and climate events.

• The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) supplies early warnings of disasters including cyclones and dust storms. Vietnam is replanting mangroves along the Mekong River delta to help protect low-lying areas from floods as seas rise.

Human health

Water-borne diseases may become more frequent because of climate change - for instance, warmer oceans can lead to toxic algal blooms and cholera epidemics. A heat wave in Europe in 2003 caused 70,000 more deaths than normal.

• Botswana is using seasonal rain forecasts to help predict malaria outbreaks. The forecasts give time to deploy resources against mosquitoes and provide nets to keep the insects at bay.

Transport and tourism

Tourism generated $735 billion in revenue in 2006, of which $221 billion was in developing nations. Projected sea level rise this century would worsen coastal erosion and lead to the loss of beaches on tropical islands that depend on tourists.

• Some ski resorts are using temperature projections for coming decades to site ski lifts. In Vermont, one ski resort has built a reservoir to feed water to snow-making machines.

Managing water

More than one billion people worldwide lack access to clean water. Drought and desertification worldwide threaten the livelihoods of 1.2 billion people.

• Countries in the Himalayas are working to assess risks of floods from lakes, now held in behind glaciers. A thaw of the glaciers could lead to an "outburst flood".

Energy

In 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed more than 100 offshore oil and gas platforms off the US. Energy industry losses from hurricanes in 2005 were estimated at $15 billion.

• Developing countries such as India and Mali are turning to jatropha, which grows with little rain on wasteland and does not compete with crops. Jatropha can be burnt as fuel, helps store carbon in the ground and slows desertification.

Securing food supplies

Climate change will disrupt farming and fishing just as the world population rises to a projected nine billion by 2050.

• Farmers in the Ningxia region of China are trying to work out better ways to allocate water during droughts.