UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called for creating a cleaner, greener and more prosperous future for all people.
Addressing the opening of Climate Week NYC, Ban said since the first such event in 2009, it has grown to become "a valuable global platform for climate leadership." "It is taking on even greater importance this year as the world mobilizes to address the climate challenge "Yesterday we saw a massive People's Climate March, tomorrow, government, business, finance and civil society leaders will gather for the Climate Summit," he noted.
"More and more people understand that climate change is happening and that it is affecting communities and economies around the world.
"Since the Climate Week takes place here every year, New Yorkers experienced the risks of extreme weather and rising sea levels first-hand when Hurricane Sandy struck," he said.
"But there is another side to climate change; we are being forced to do business in a new way. By rising to the challenge, we can create a cleaner, greener, more prosperous future for all," he said.
Ban noted that there is no "Plan B" for action as there is no "Planet B." He welcomed the Climate Week New York City Leaders' Vision, which highlighted the tremendous opportunities of moving towards a vibrant and low-carbon economy.
All cities and countries stand to benefit from energy-efficient infrastructure and renewable power sources, and all will benefit from strengthening climate resilience and reducing risk, Ban said.
He stressed the fact that all can benefit from putting a price on carbon and pollution, and many technically proven and commercially viable solutions to the climate challenge exist now, as well as others being developed.
Furthermore, Ban said that tomorrow's Climate Summit, Governments, investors and businesses are waking to the vast opportunities of a low-carbon, resilient future. He urged the Summit's attendees to commit to transformative action.
"The actions that we take today can open the door to greater opportunity, prosperity and dignity for every person on this planet," he said.
He called for increasing the political momentum towards a meaningful and universal climate agreement in Paris in 2015.