Washington, Shawwal 19, 1436, Aug 4, 2015, SPA -- U.S. President Barack Obama met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the White House Tuesday. President Obama told reporters in the Oval Office that the world "has to step up" to help combat climate change, saying that the United Nations will continue to press other countries to take action. The comment came a day after President Obama announced his plan to have power plant operators cut carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. "I highly commend President Obama's strong commitment" to climate change and his "visionary and bold leadership," Ban said. "The Clean Power Plan powers economies and generates jobs. It generates huge dividends here at home." President Obama said that he and Ban also discussed "a range of regional issues." --SPA 21:08 LOCAL TIME 18:08 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w