Former UN Secretary-General urges US President to rejoin global climate efforts
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the US President to rejoin global efforts to combat climate change as the COP30 conference began in Brazil. Ban Ki-moon called the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement "deeply regrettable," emphasizing that the climate crisis transcends borders. The White House, however, stated that global "climate goals" are detrimental and would have "killed America" if the current administration had not intervened to stop them.
The former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, urged the US President to return to global efforts aimed at combating climate change, coinciding with the start of the COP30 conference in Brazil.
The White House recently maintained that globally imposed "climate goals" are harmful and "would have killed America" if the current administration had not intervened to halt them.
In an interview, Ban Ki-moon issued a clear warning:
"The climate crisis has no borders. It doesn't matter whether you live in the United States, China, or Europe. If we live together, we all live. If we die, we all die together."
He described the fact that the US, "the most powerful, most influential, and richest country in the world," withdrew for a second time from the Paris Agreement—the world's most important global climate treaty—as "deeply regrettable."
The Paris Agreement and Global Commitments
Signed at COP21 in 2015, the Paris Agreement is the sole legally binding international climate treaty. Its primary objective is to limit global warming to 1.5–2°C above pre-industrial levels. Signatory nations must submit detailed plans for emission reduction every five years.
The Brazilian team hosting COP30 announced that only 108 states have submitted their new climate plans, meaning over one-third of the world's countries have not yet fulfilled their obligations.
Ban Ki-moon insisted that developed Western nations, not just the US, must take a more active leadership role:
"They must show the strongest possible leadership. This is the only planet we have. We have nowhere else to move."
The former Secretary-General currently leads the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, which collaborates with policymakers on implementing the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
US Position on Economy and Responsibility
The United States is the world's largest economy and the second-largest polluter, after China.
"The whole world is waiting for the United States to demonstrate its political leadership at such a critical time. This is my sincere appeal to the US President," Ban Ki-moon said.
The US President did not send any high-ranking delegation to COP30, and the White House did not specify whether negotiators or technical representatives would participate.
A White House spokesperson stated:
"The so-called Green New Scam would have destroyed America if the President had not been elected to implement a common-sense energy agenda based on harnessing the 'liquid gold' beneath our feet. His policy has strengthened the stability of the energy grid and reduced costs for American families and companies. The President will not jeopardize the economic and national security of the US to pursue vague climate goals that destroy other countries."
