Ban Ki-moon praises China's efforts on climate change
CGTN Global Business
03:20

China has been embarking on "great efforts" to tackle climate change while the U.S.' stance on the matter remains a deep concern for the world, according to former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. 

"If we work together, we can make it happen."

"While I am happy to work with China, I am deeply concerned about the policy of the U.S. government, where President Trump announced its withdrawal," said Ban, the Boao Forum for Asia Chairman of the Board.

"First of all, we have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible. China has been doing great efforts. (Together with) the United States, we have to transform this fossil fuel base to renewable energy," he added. 

U.S. President Donald Trump last month officially notified the UN of the U.S.' intention to exit the Paris climate agreement, making the U.S. the only country in the world that will remove itself from the 2015 international pact to reduce emissions of gases that contribute to global warming.

In the ongoing UN conference on climate, COP25 in Madrid, however, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that the Congress was committed to action on the climate crisis, amid criticism against the U.S. president of committing "ecocide."

UN: World sleepwalking toward a climate catastrophe

A recent UN report warned that emissions must be cut by 7.6 percent every year until 2030 to reach safe levels, saying the world was "sleepwalking toward a climate catastrophe."

In an interview with CGTN's Wei Lynn Tang, Ban said countries around the world need to reduce greenhouse gasses.

"Climate change is a global challenge, and requires a global solution. No single country can address it alone."

"The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has warned in October 2018 unless we contain the global temperature raise below 1.5 degree Celsius, we will have no hope, and there'll be seas rise, earth will be warmer."

"Therefore I ask the whole world's leaders to work together with UN… I think we are on the tipping point. Unless we take urgent action, we will regret. Planet earth is on fever," said Ban, pointing out that global temperatures were hottest in the month of July in 2019 in 140 years. 

"That means that nature is giving us a strong warning. We have to listen to the voices of nature, it does not negotiate with us human beings."

(CGTN's Wei Lynn Tang contributed to this story)