UN states: environmental issues must not become a casualty of recession

Article Type: News From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 20, Issue 1

Governments must resist putting environmental issues at the bottom of the political agenda to deal with more pressing economic problems as the global financial crisis deepens and Europe approaches recession, UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said.

Multilateral action on major threats such as ozone depletion must not lose momentum as it can bring wide-ranging health, social and economic benefits, Mr Ki-moon warned. An agreement on a post-2012 climate regime in Copenhagen next year would help also tackle urban air pollution, deforestation and protect biodiversity, he said.