Any nations withdrawing from the Paris agreement on climate change will “condemn future generations to untold suffering," according to outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Ban, who will step down as head of the U.N. after 10 years at the end of this month, described climate change as the single most pressing danger facing the world and called last year’s Paris agreement his “greatest achievement” in office. The agreement, which was reached in December 2015 in Paris, outlines an action plan to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial times.
Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., Ban warned that backing out of the agreement now would have devastating consequences and said the international community is at a “critical juncture” when it comes to averting the threat of climate change.
About the author
Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards is a Devex Contributing Reporter covering global education, water and sanitation, and innovative financing, along with other topics. She has previously worked for NGOs, and the World Bank, and spent a number of years as a journalist for a regional newspaper in the U.K. She has a master's degree from the Institute of Development Studies and a bachelor's from Cambridge University.
