2014•09•20     United States of America

As part of the Climate Summit 2014 hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 23 September in New York, the United Nations University is hosting a thematic session on “The Economic Case for Climate Action” with global leaders and world renowned experts from China, India, Mexico, and the United States.

When: 5.15 to 6.30 pm (EDT) on 23 September 2014

Where: Conference Room 4 at the United Nations Headquarters and through live streaming on http://webtv.un.org/.

Who: The session will be co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey and H.E. Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

The discussion panel will include:

• H.E. Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (Moderator)
• H.E. Mr. Felipe Calderón, Former President of México and Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate
• Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute, Columbia University
• Dr Leena Srivastava, Vice Chancellor, TERI University, New Delhi
• Professor Jintao Xu, Director, China Center for Energy and Development, Peking University

Extreme weather events and rising sea-levels will increasingly make clear the costly impact of climate change. The unsustainable use of resources, coupled with a growing world population and rapidly rising demand for energy, pose daunting challenges for keeping global warming within internationally agreed limits.

The session will discuss the critical transformations needed in the production of food and energy, transportation systems, as well as the planning and building of cities, to ensure a healthy planet while fostering strong, climate resilient economies. The panel will also explore the policy frameworks that will help drive the investments needed to achieve robust, climate resilient economic growth.

Attention media:

Access to the United Nations premises is only granted to journalists accredited by the UN Department of Public Information. The session can be followed via live web streaming at http://webtv.un.org/.

For more information or to arrange for an interview with one of the panelists or a UNU climate expert, please contact:

Janine Kandel, UNU Media Officer

+1 917 294 6251

To learn more:

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