The UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has given China a kick-up-the-bum on climate change by urging them to set a leading example to developing nations by promoting green living and environmentally-friendly economic growth.

Ban was launching a project to promote energy-saving lighting (Press release). “China has long been the world’s fastest-growing major economy,” Ban said. “It is also a leading emitter of greenhouse gases, and it is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change.”

“Without China there can be no success this year on a new global climate framework deal,” said Ban, (AFP).

Meanwhile Nobel-prize winning chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Rajendra Pachauri has “slammed” the US for its plans to introduce carbon tariffs (Wall Street Journal). These tariffs will be charged to countries importing to the US, when those countries don’t take their own steps to cut their emissions. “Please don’t use this weapon. I’m afraid that those that have been pushing these provisions probably don’t realize that all of this can cause a major negative reaction,” Pachauri said.

Pachauri has also been defending India’s use of coal (The Hindu).

Image: UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras