U.N. chief says domestic politics undermine climate fight

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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A climate deal at Copenhagen may not be possible unless politicians take tough decisions without worrying about winning elections and compulsions of their domestic politics, the U.N. Secretary-General said on Thursday. Ban Ki-moon said the situation had been compounded by the global financial downturn that was making it more difficult for the political leadership to take unpopular decisions.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A climate deal at Copenhagen may not be possible unless politicians take tough decisions without worrying about winning elections and compulsions of their domestic politics, the U.N. Secretary-General said on Thursday.

Ban Ki-moon said the situation had been compounded by the global financial downturn that was making it more difficult for the political leadership to take unpopular decisions.

"Their first priority maybe (is) to get elected first of all, whatever maybe the case," Ban told a conference on sustainable development in New Delhi.

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"But they must overcome and look beyond this personal political leadership. They have to demonstrate their leadership as a global leader.

"For political leaders, there is always clearly some political risks that they want to avoid. Political psychology in the midst of global financial crisis, global downturn, (is) they are very weak to the voters."

From rich nations to developing countries many are shelving ambitions for deep cuts or caps in greenhouse gas emissions as the economic slowdown overshadows the fight against climate change.

In countries such as India, the fourth-largest polluter in the world, climate change is hardly seen as an election issue and barely features on the agenda of political parties.

Ban called on political leaders to look beyond their domestic politics for a deal in Copenhagen. "We have to look at the whole generational issues. Therefore please look beyond your own domestic concerns and look for the future," he said.

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