At Davos forum, political and business leaders push for cleaner energy to limit climate change

U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, the opening day of the World Economic Forum where world's financial and political elite will meet in the upcoming days. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) (The Associated Press)

U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, the opening day of the World Economic Forum where world's financial and political elite will meet in the upcoming days. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) (The Associated Press)

U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014, the opening day of the World Economic Forum where world's financial and political elite will meet in the upcoming days. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) (The Associated Press)

Leaders gathered in the Swiss ski resort of Davos have made it a top priority to push to reshape the global economy and cut global warming by shifting to cleaner energy sources.

U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres says the world economy is at risk unless a binding climate deal is agreed in Paris in 2015 to lower heat-trapping carbon emissions from coal and oil.

Figueres told The Associated Press "the signal to the global economy needs to be stronger than it is right now" to shift to sustainable energy and stabilize warming at a level that will avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

South Korea's President Park Geun-hye told the forum "the world must act as one" to tackle climate and environmental challenges.