CRI听力:Billions Pledged at UN Climate Summit

World leaders have made promises of billions of dollars and better care of planet Earth, during the UN Climate Summit in New York.

The one-day summit at the annual U.N. General Assembly gathered more than 100 world leaders.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon challenged the leaders to set a new course for a warming world and reverse the rise of heat-trapping gases.

"Climate change is a defining issue of our age. It is defining our present. Our response will define our future. To ride this storm, we need all hands on deck. That is why we are here today. We need a clear vision."

Representing China at the summit is Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, speaking as President Xi Jinping's special envoy.

"As a responsible major country, a major developing country, China will make even greater effort to address climate change and take on international responsibilities that are commensurate with our national conditions and actual capabilities."

The vice premier said China will announce its post-2020 action plan on climate change as soon as possible, which is expected to include marked progress in reducing carbon intensity, increasing the share of non-fossil fuels, and raising the forest stock.

The New York summit is designed to lay the groundwork for a new global treaty to tackle climate change due, at the end of next year.

World leaders have promised a total of at least 5 billion US dollars to help the world become more sustainable.