Cowen calls for more urgency over climate change

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen last night called for more urgency in battling climate change as he arrived in New York for a United Nations gathering on the dangers of greenhouse gases.

Mr Cowen joined fellow leaders for the annual UN general assembly which the organisation’s secretary general Ban Ki-Moon has anchored on reaching consensus on radical steps to stabilise the planet’s environment. The Taoiseach is not expected to speak to the UN, but will meet fellow heads of government during his two-day stay.

The secretary general wants to use the gathering of such diverse leaders as US President Barack Obama, Libya’s Muhammar Gadaffi and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to try and make strong progress ahead of a pivotal UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December.