UN Secretary-General to visit South America; to “see first-hand the effects of climate change” as Bali conference preparations continue

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon starts a South American tour this week and will visit the Antarctic and the Amazon rain forest to “see first-hand the effects of climate change and deforestation on the environment,” according to a U.N. spokesperson.

Ban had made environmental accords a centerpiece of his program, and has aimed to make a U.N. climate change conference this December in Bali a starting point for negotiations for a successor to the Kyoto Treaty. The Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

Meetings continue among many groups as nationas prepare for Bali. The IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) group met kast month with Bali on the agenda, while a recent two-day conference of the 17 “Heavy Smoker” major polluting nations ended with disappointment over President George Bush’s call for voluntary emission targets set by each individual country. The British climate envoy called the US “isolated” and the South African Environment Minister said “the US needs to go back to the drawing board”.

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