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UN chief says rich countries caused, must fix global warming

6 hr ago By Karl Ritter

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says it's only fair that wealthy countries now take the lead on climate change.

DOHA, Qatar — Rich countries are to blame for climate change and should take the lead in forging a global climate pact by 2015, a deadline that "must be met," the head of the United Nations said Wednesday.
On the sidelines of international climate talks in Qatar, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said it was "only fair and reasonable that the developed world should bear most of the responsibility" in fighting the gradual warming of the planet.
Ban's comments echoed the concerns of China and other developing countries, which say rich nations have a historical responsibility for global warming because their factories released carbon emissions into the atmosphere long before the climate effects were known.
"The climate change phenomenon has been caused by the industrialization of the developed world," Ban said. "It's only fair and reasonable that the developed world should bear most of the responsibility."
Many rich nations including the U.S. and European Union say the firewall between developed and developing countries that has guided the two-decade-old climate process in the past no longer reflects the world today and isn't helpful in dealing with the problem.
Most of the emissions now come from the developing world, and China has overtaken the U.S. to become the world's top carbon polluter.

 http://news.msn.com/science-technology/un-chief-says-rich-countries-caused-must-fix-global-warming