S. Korean president says time to act, not talk on climate change

By Byun Duk-kun
COPENHAGEN, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday
urged immediate action by all countries to fight climate change, saying the world
is quickly running out of time to save itself and future generations.

"We all agree on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Lee said in his
keynote speech at the U.N. conference on climate change in the Danish capital.
The South Korean head of state arrived here earlier Thursday for the conference
and a climate summit that will also be attended by the leaders of over 100
countries.
"The decisions that we make here today will affect not only ourselves but our
children and the future of this planet," Lee said.
President Lee noted the most serious question facing the world was who would take
action first.
"If we wish to make any real difference, the only way is to take action
together," he said. "Instead of saying 'you first,' we should start by saying 'me
first.'"
Seoul announced an ambitious goal in November to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by 30 percent from its forecast or "business-as-usual" level in 2020, though it
is not required to cut emissions under the existing U.N. convention on climate
change, the Kyoto Protocol.
The move is equivalent to reducing emissions by 4 percent from 2005 levels, the
highest goal set forth voluntarily by a non-Annex 1 nation, which refers to
countries that are not required to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised the move Monday in a video conference
with the South Korean president, who was in Seoul at the time, saying it set a
good example for other non-Annex 1 countries, such as China and India.
Lee said his country will once again take the lead, this time by establishing a
research center, tentatively named the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), to
develop new technologies to fight global warming and share them with the rest of
the world.
"In the spirit of global partnership, the GGGI can act as a global think tank and
as a bridge between advanced and developing countries," Lee said in his speech,
adding the institute will be opened in the first half of next year.
"We will gather scholars, scientists and civil society leaders from around the
world to come up with workable solutions to our problems," he said.
The president also announced his country's official bid to host the U.N. climate
conference in 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol is set to expire.
"We have been given a historical responsibility. What we achieve here and the
actions that we take from now on will shape the future," Lee said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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