U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging the U.S. to lead the way at home and abroad in efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.

Ban made the call at the 40th Earth Day event in New York’s Times Square, calling upon the U.S. to show the world that the carbon habit can be kicked.

Ban was quoted as saying that Earth Day “has helped create a sense of shared responsibility for the environment.”

Earth Day was started by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson and Harvard graduate student Denis Hayes in 1970.