World leaders meet in search of deal on climate
Leaders from more than 150 countries have gathered in the French capital Paris to seek a much-anticipated deal to avert a climate catastrophe as activists continue to stage protests in the city against inaction on pollution.
The historic summit, which is organized by the United Nations, kicked off on Monday in search of an agreement to restructure the global economy so that it could be less dependent on fossil fuels, a major source of global warming.
The high-profile gathering, called by the French hosts as the largest single-day gathering of heads of state or government in history, will last for 12 days in Le Bourget on the northern outskirts of Paris.
“Never have the stakes of an international meeting been so high because it concerns the future of the planet, the future of life,” French President Francois Hollande said in an opening speech, adding “The hope of all of humanity rests on all of your shoulders.”
Tight security measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of the talks, which come just over two weeks after a bloody night in Paris when over 130 were killed in a series of shootings and explosions. France put into effect a state of emergency following the attacks with troops and security forces visible almost everywhere in the capital and elsewhere in the country.
An official ban on demonstrations has failed to stop people from taking to the streets to demand a drastic change in policies contributing to the rise in climate woes. Some 200 people were arrested during a rally on Sunday with protesters condemning the presence of representatives from some large companies whom they accuse of having a hand in the global pollution. Banners were installed by artists and activists in Paris on Monday with some of them saying the conference's sponsors “can't present themselves as being part of the solution.”
Warnings have been abundant over the past years about the rising level of greenhouse gases in the world with scientists and activists urging a broad deal be reached at the political level so that life-threatening catastrophes like droughts, floods, storms and rising sea levels could be averted. Scientists say the failure to strike such a deal could put millions at risk.
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