SANTIAGO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua)
-- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to view for himself the
worrying effects of global warming when he visits Antarctica this week with
Chilean Environment Minister Anlia Uriarte, the minister said Wednesday.
A statement from the minister said the
secretary-general will see the scientific activity in Antarctica and evidence of
the faster-than-expected melting of the world's ice caps due to climate change.
During the Friday to Sunday tour, the party will also
visit the Torres del Paine National Park, home to Chile's spectacular glaciers
that are being threatened by global warming.
Chilean scientists have issued warnings about the
accelerating of the melting process at the glaciers, which are important sources
of drinking water. As a result, the country's legislature is considering a law
to deal with the situation.
The secretary-general was invited to Chile by
President Michelle Bachelet during a high-level meeting on climate change in
September at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Heraldo Munoz, Chile's UN ambassador, and director of
Chile's Antarctic Institute Jose Retamales will accompany Ban Ki-moon on the
visit.
Ban is also to attend the 17th Ibero-American summit
scheduled for Nov. 8-11 in Chile.
