UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging the world to come to an agreement on a new climate treaty by 2009 following UN talks in Bali. He emphasized the need for detailed greenhouse gas cuts and stated that the main objective of the meeting was to initiate negotiations for a new pact to replace the current Kyoto Protocol. Ban stressed the urgency of addressing climate change, describing it as the moral challenge of our generation and highlighting the need to act promptly to mitigate its effects. He called for immediate action, despite disagreements among ministers on the terms of launching formal negotiations for a new global treaty to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The United States is opposing references to scientific evidence supporting significant cuts in greenhouse gases by 2020, complicating negotiations. Ban stated that negotiations on this issue will need to happen in the future, agreeing with the perspective of Washington. He mentioned that there is a two-year window before an international agreement can be reached. Despite this, he emphasized the importance of countries adhering to the U.N. climate panel's recommendation of a 25-40 percent reduction to prevent severe climate change impacts. Ban also stressed the importance of creating a roadmap with a strict timeline to reach a climate agreement by 2009, as the United Nations aims to have a new pact adopted in Copenhagen in late 2009. The United States, along with Japan, Canada, and Australia, believes that including a non-binding mention of a 25-to-40 percent range could bias the outcome of negotiations. Paula Dobriansky, US Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, emphasized the importance of not pre-determining the results of the process. On the other hand, the European Union argued that wealthy nations must lead by example in order to persuade developing nations like China and India to reduce their emissions from fossil fuels. German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel stressed the need for a clear starting point and goal in order to make significant progress. Ban urged all countries, including the United States, to be more adaptable and open-minded. He also highlighted the potential positive outcomes of addressing global warming, such as job creation and poverty alleviation in developing countries across Africa and Asia. Australia's new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, recently submitted paperwork to Ban confirming Australia's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, leaving the United States as the only wealthy nation not bound by emission limits until 2012. Rudd, whose Labor Party won a significant victory in the recent election, emphasized that Australia is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, such as reduced river flows and coral reef damage. He warned that current events are just a glimpse of what is to come. The negotiations are scheduled to conclude by Friday or early Saturday, and traditional annual U.N. climate meetings involve tough negotiations and sessions that last all night. The United Nations is aiming to have an agreement in place by the end of 2009 to allow parliaments three years to ratify it and help direct investments worth billions of dollars in various forms of energy, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and coal-fired power plants. The Kyoto Protocol took eight years to come into effect in 2005, as it required enough countries to ratify it, a process that was delayed in 2001 by the United States' decision not to join. If Bali fails to reach an agreement to start talks, it could jeopardize the chances of a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. In addition to Australia, 36 Kyoto nations have committed to reducing emissions by an average of 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. The United States claims that the Kyoto agreement would negatively impact its economy and unfairly does not include targets for major developing countries for the years 2008-2012.