U.N.: Focus must be sustainable growth

BANGKOK, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Asia-Pacific countries must begin to focus on sustainable growth, the U.N. Climate Change envoy said Monday in Bangkok.

"We can turn the crisis of climate change into a new economic opportunity," Han Seung-soo told a U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific committee.

Han praised the committee for its Green Growth initiative, which the commission said seeks a shift in thinking of growth and argues that market prices reflect ecological costs, the United Nations said in a news release. He said the new mechanism would work only if all countries participate.

Han's comments came as Asia prepares to host the Bali conference next month called to develop a legally binding agreement that caps greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement struck in Bali would succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.