Former UN chief calls for nations to work together and find solutions for world's problems

Officials and experts have called for concerted actions and constructive international dialogue to face global ecological and environmental challenges.

Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, said that regional cooperation is really needed because there are so many environmental issues to be solved.

He quoted a report by the World Health Organization as saying that air pollution caused by fossil fuels kills an estimated 7 million people worldwide every year.

"We cannot choose. We really need to work together because everyone needs fresh air," he said at the closing session of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Tuesday.

Vice-Premier Han Zheng, also chairman of the council, attended the closing session.

Joyce Msuya, acting executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said that it is time to urge concerted action in every part of the world.

"We cannot afford a temperature increase of more than 1.5 C by the end of the century. We need China to share many great examples of success and even greater ambitions to transform the world," she said.

Liu Shijin, vice-chairman of the China Development Research Foundation, said that international cooperation should be enhanced in terms of climate change and biodiversity to counter protectionism and unilateralism.

"Previously, we have had highly polluting products in some industries. But now we have adopted some advanced technologies for energy conservation and environmental protection, which have become competitive edges for an enterprise.

"In addition, in climate change and biodiversity conservation, the global consensus is relatively high. It is necessary to carry out more actions to build a better society and maintain the concept of globalization," he said.

Andrew Steer, president of the World Resources Institute, said that China's positive role in encouraging constructive international dialogue and collective action is absolutely essential.

He said the dialogue over the last three days shows how it might be done.

"China's concept of ecological civilization has shifted its development model from high speed to high quality. China has a larger technical growth rate recently and its smart policies on environment and climate will lead to greater economic efficiency.

"For example, from Anji county, Zhejiang province, we learned about keeping lucid water and lush mountains. Green is gold. It's not just good economics," he said.

Hou Liqiang contributed to this story.