World leaders must seize historic opportunity on climate change: Maldivian president

COLOMBO, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has called upon world leaders gathering in New York to seize the historic opportunity before the Copenhagen climate summit to be held in December, the Maldivian president's office said Wednesday on its official website.

Nasheed on Tuesday told the the UN climate summit, which is the largest high-level climate conference ever held that the world leaders must "discard the habits that have led to 20 years of complacency and broken promises on climate change."

Nasheed said the solution to climate change lied in major three areas which include:

-- The developed countries accepting ambitious and binding emission reduction targets consistent with an average temperature increase of below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels;

-- The developing world being ready to jump, by accepting binding emission reduction targets under the principle of common but differentiated responsibility;

-- The developed world providing new, additional and predictable adaptation financing.

Nasheed was among the eight heads of state or government invited by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to speak at the UN Summit on Climate Change.

The Maldives is one of the world's lowest-lying countries, with about 300,000 people living mainly on land less than two meters above sea level.

Scientists have warned recently that rising seas caused by climate change could engulf the Maldives and other low-lying nations this century.