U.N. officials Monday welcomed the initiative announced by U.S. President Barack Obama to limit emissions from power plants, voicing their hope that it will spur other countries to take concrete action to combat climate change. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement issued by his office, called the initiative "a significant step toward reducing global greenhouse gas emissions that are disrupting the climate, exacerbating extreme weather patterns, and threatening human health, sustainable economic growth and development." "He (Ban) calls on world leaders to take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by the climate summit he will host in September by bringing bold announcements and actions they will undertake nationally, as well as in multilateral and multi-stakeholder settings to address climate change," the statement said.
