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Secretary-General says there are doubts about action on climate change
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says there are lingering doubts about whether the world can afford to take action on climate change amidst the current economic crisis.
The Secretary-General was speaking after meeting members of the United States Senate in Washington D.C. late on Tuesday.
He acknowledged there will be costs associated with tackling climate change but added that these costs pale in comparison with the cost of not taking action.
Inaction, he warns, "will mean a weakened economic recovery, loss of global competitiveness, increased global instability and further human suffering."
On the other hand, the Secretary-General added, a global agreement "will unleash investments that will jumpstart and sustain economic recovery."
The Secretary-General's meeting with American Senators came a day after President Barack Obama said he was willing to go to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December if his presence would help clinch a deal.
Jocelyne Sambira, United Nations
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