Climate change issues must be addressed first for the smooth industrial transition to fully automated and digitalized civilization, said Ban Ki-moon, former United Nations Secretary-General.

“We have to learn how to live in harmony with nature, and then we can learn how to live in harmony with the artificial intelligence,” said Ban during his ‘Paris Climate Accord and the Future of Humanity` lecture delivered at the opening session of the 18th World Knowledge Forum. The annual event hosted by Maekyung Media Group in Seoul ends on Thursday.

Ban associated climate change solutions to better respond to the challenges from fourth industrial revolution.

“Quite simply, if we cannot save the planet, our humanity will have to cease to exist.”

“We have to make sure that the global temperature rise is contained below 2 degrees Celsius. If possible, we have to strive to cut it down to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century,” warned Ban.

Ban criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

He reminded the U.S has been the world’s second largest emitter of carbon dioxide, claiming “the U.S. announcement has many problems in its substance as well as procedural aspect.” Ban said the views of the Trump administration was “short-sighted, scientifically wrong and economically irresponsible,” accusing Trump of “standing on the wrong side of history.”

Ban said that Paris Agreement would provide “historic opportunities to develop clean energy and climate resilient economies,” and the global shift to renewable energy would “promote economic growth, create more jobs and foster new opportunities.”

By Han Woo-ram, Lee Yu-sup, and Cho Jeehyun

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