UN's Ban: invest in fighting climate change

Ban says managing the financial crisis requires a massive global stimulus and "a big part of that spending" should be directed at fighting global warming.

Ban spoke Thursday to a U.N. conference that is working on a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, which expires in 2012.

The aim is to agree on a new treaty late next year. About 145 environment ministers and other senior officials are meeting Thursday and Friday to help push forward that effort.

Ban said, "there can be no backsliding on our commitments to a future of low carbon emissions."