Speaking at the Marrakech climate conference, French President Francois Hollande called on the United States to respect what he called the “irreversible” Paris Agreement to fight climate change. Hollande added that France would lead a dialogue about this with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Climate action said to be in the U.S. own interest
Trump has called climate change “a hoax” and has vowed to encourage the use of fossil fuels even though science overwhelmingly proves that burning them causes greenhouse gas emissions leading to climate change.
Hollande praised U.S. President Barak Obama for helping get the Paris Agreement adopted by more than 190 countries last year. He said the U.S., as the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, must live up to the commitments it made. He added that is not just a duty, but in the country’s own interest.
At stake, ‘the very existence of man’
Earlier U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped Trump would shift his view of global warming and recognize it for the seriousness and urgency it represents. He too called action on climate “unstoppable” and said no country is immune from the effects of climate change.
As host of the conference, the king of Morocco urged delegates to transform their commitments into action saying, “What’s at stake is the very existence of man.”
With files from Associated Press
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