And Moon said the 2007 report of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change left a "big asterisk" when it came to the behavior of the major ice sheets.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

In a video message to the High-level session, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called upon the scientific community to help make sense of the complex and interconnected challenges --including climate change, the financial crisis and food, water and energy insecurity -- that threaten human well-being and civilization as we know it.

UNESCO: Irina Bokova: we must harness the power of science to empower people | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

In his video message during the high-level segment, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called upon the scientific community to help make sense of the complex and interconnected challenges --including climate change, the financial crisis and food, water and energy insecurity -- that threaten human well-being and civilization as we know it.

UNESCO: World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)