Lee heads home after urging world leaders to act on climate change

By Byun Duk-kun
COPENHAGEN, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak left for
home Friday after a two-day visit here for a U.N. climate summit where he urged
immediate and concerted efforts by all countries to fight global warming.

The South Korean president earlier noted the summit, attended by the leaders of
more than 100 countries, was a historic and possibly final chance for the world
to reach a consensus on how to avoid environmental catastrophe.
The summit is generally being viewed as a failure as it ended with a declaration
that only reaffirmed an earlier agreement, which put a two-degree Celsius cap on
rising global temperatures in 2050 from pre-industrial levels.
"We will continue to do our very best because there is no alternative for our
planet," Lee earlier said in an address to the summit as a representative of the
Environmental Integrity Group, which consists of South Korea, Lichtenstein,
Mexico, Monaco and Switzerland.
U.S. President Barack Obama, who was seen as advocating for the interests of
developed countries, also delivered an address, as did Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao, whose country stood as a key figure among developing economies in
opposition to the demands of developed nations.
The failure to produce a global consensus at the summit was mainly caused by this
persistent gap between advanced and developing economies over how much the latter
should contribute to efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Lee urged both sides to start taking immediate steps, saying the only way they
can make a real difference is by taking action together.
"Although we may not agree on everything today, this must not be an excuse for
no-action," he said at the summit.
He will arrive home early Saturday (Seoul time).
bdk@yna.co.kr
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