UN chief welcomes ‘hugely important’ climate rule

The head of the United Nations congratulated President Obama Tuesday for what he characterized as “hugely important and visionary leadership” on Obama’s landmark climate rule.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Obama Tuesday at the White House to discuss the climate rule and its impact on the UN’s upcoming global climate change agreement, among other issues.

{mosads}“This is hugely important and visionary leadership. The U.S. can and will be able to change the world in addressing a climate phenomenon,” Ban told reporters after the meeting.

“We are the first generation, as President Obama rightly said yesterday, to put an end to global poverty,” he said. “And we are the last generation who can address climate change phenomenon.”

Ban told Obama “I count on your continuing leadership” in addressing climate change and his help going into the UN’s December meeting in Paris, where it hopes to finalize the terms of a global pact to reduce greenhouse gases and help developing countries adjust to a changing climate.

Ban also thanked Obama for working with China, Brazil and other countries to get climate commitments from them.

Obama said that the climate change pact was one of the main topics of their conversation, along with the Islamic State, conflict in South Sudan and sustainable development.

“I shared with him the work that we are doing with the United Nations so that we can be a leader in addressing this critical … issue that faces humankind going forward, and explained how through our power plant rule, through the work we’re doing on renewable energies and so forth, that we’re in a position now to meet the very aggressive targets that we’re putting forward in preparation for the Paris conference,” he said.

Vice President Joe Biden, UN Ambassador Samantha Power, energy adviser Brian Deese and National Security Adviser Susan Rice were also in the meeting.