Ban Ki-moon optimistic Trump will change his mind on climate

Susan Phillips

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Susan Phillips tells stories about the consequences of political decisions on people's every day lives. She has worked as a reporter for WHYY since 2004. Susan's coverage of the 2008 Presidential election resulted in a story on the front page of the New York Times. In 2010 she traveled to Haiti to cover the earthquake. That same year she produced an award-winning series on Pennsylvania's natural gas rush called "The Shale Game." She received a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award for her work covering natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. She has also won several Edward R. Murrow awards for her work with StateImpact. In 2013/14 she spent a year at MIT as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow. She has also been a Metcalf Fellow, an MBL Logan Science Journalism Fellow and reported from Marrakech on the 2016 climate talks as an International Reporting Project Fellow. A graduate of Columbia School of Journalism, she earned her Bachelor's degree in International Relations from George Washington University.

November 15, 2016 | 10:09 AM

AP Photo / Mosa'ab Elshamy

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, is welcomed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, right, at the U.N. climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he hopes Donald Trump will shift course on global warming and “understand the seriousness and urgency” of addressing the problem.#39;ab Elshamy

United Nations Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon says he’s optimistic that president-elect Donald Trump can be convinced of the urgency to act on climate change. Ban spoke at a gathering of almost 200 nations assembled in Morrocco to work on reducing global carbon emissions. Trump has said he would withdraw the U.S. from the agreements ironed out in Paris last year aimed at making sure the world does not warm any more than 2° degrees Celsius. He has also called climate change a “hoax.”
Ban Ki-moon said he had spoken to Donald Trump over the phone recently, and he’s sure Trump can be convinced through Reason.
“I believe that he understands that there are market forces already at work on this issue,” said Ban. “And we need to harness these forces for good of the planet and all the species in this planet.”
Ban didn’t give any more details about his conversation with the president-elect. But the outgoing secretary-general said he plans to meet with Trump face-to-face, where he will further emphasize the need for reducing carbon emissions.
“We don’t have a plan B, because we don’t have a planet B,” said Ban. “We have to work very hard, very seriously and very urgently… This is what I’m telling you, not as secretary-general, but as one of the citizens’ of this world.”
Ban said everyone, including political leaders, have a moral mandate to address climate change.
“They’re mandate may be limited, four years, eight years, or ten years but our planet Earth, our world is eternal,” he said. “We have to go on, so we have to address this climate change agreement.”
French President Francois Hollande, addressing the conference, called on Trump to respect the commitments made by the U.S. in Paris last year. Hollande said France would lead a delegation to speak to Trump about climate change.
“The United States, the largest economic power in the world, the second largest greenhouse gas emitter must respect the commitments they have undertaken,” said Hollande. “I assure you France will lead this dialogue with the United States in openness and respect, but with demands and determination.”
Susan Phillips reported from Morocco on a fellowship from the International Reporting Project (IRP).