Why We Must Act on Climate Change (Ban Ki Moon and John Kerry)

At the start of Climate Week, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made some powerful arguments in support of action on Climate Change. To underscore his support for action, Ban even walked alongside demonstrators at the People's Climate March on September 21, 2014.

US Secretary of State John Kerry also made a strong and succinct argument for action ahead of the People's Climate March.

Ban's participation in the March was meant to underscore the need for better collaboration between communities, citizens, and the public and private sectors.

"This is our world, this is our planet earth. It is a very small planet," Ki-moon told the roughly 250 people attending the Climate Week opening session. "If we cannot swim together, we will always sink."

Before the People's Climate March, Kerry addressed the issue of costs associated with climate action head-on. He told a gathering that ignoring climate change will be costly: "It doesn't cost more to deal with climate change, it costs more to ignore it," he said.

"There is no Plan B, because there is no Planet B." Explained Ban, "You can make a powerful argument that it is the most important challenge that we face on the planet, because it is about the planet itself."