UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described global warming as an "existential challenge for the whole human race", when he recently spoke at the COP18 meeting in Doha. The Secretary General added:
"Climate change is happening much, much faster than one would understand."
"The science has plainly made it clear: it is the human beings' behavior which caused climate change, therefore the solution must come from us."
Ban Ki-moon, December 17, 2012:
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon accepted an armored Hyundai sedan from South Korea's Ambassador Kim Sook on Monday afternoon, along with a glass of champagne.
Ambassador Kim Sook said the car had taken one year to customize, and is named Equus, which he translated as "horse of victorious general" -- in this case, Secretary General.
AP reports that Ban marveled at his "brand new beautiful armored vehicle"."This looks like a very big holiday gift for me," the Secretary General added.
This is how Hyundai describes their brand new luxury limousine Equus :
The facelifted Equus fully reflects the feedback from its target customers, a class of busy leaders that need to be conscious about their social status while still requiring practical space and features.
In particular, the Equus facelift aims to offer maximum satisfaction to rear seat passengers, with fine-tuned suspension that ensures more riding comfort and balance on bumpy road conditions.
The 2013 Equus is powered by Hyundai's 5.0-liter Tau DOHC V8 engine, producing 429 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 376 lb-ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm.
The facts above relate to the standard Equus model. Ban's armored "holiday gift" is of course in a class of its own, with a plethora of additional luxury features, and an enlarged V8 engine.
Happy riding, Mr. Secretary General!
PS
We hear that some ordinary UN staffers are less than happy with Ban's new Christmas gift;
"We're told by Ban's office we can't accept even a bottle of wine from our Missions," one complained. "And he takes a car?"
I'm not surprised UN staffers are unhappy. Presumably the Secretary General doesn't even see how undignified it is.
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