WORLD NEEDS CLIMATE AGREEMENT
He seeks ‘legally binding ’ targets to aid global economy
President Obama expressed confidence Tuesday that the world’s nations can soon strike a global climate change agreement, including “legally binding ” targets designed to forge a “low-carbon global economy” in the century ahead.
“I’m convinced that we’re going to get big things done here,” Obama said during a news conference that followed two days of climate talks in Paris.
The president also said he and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin continue to be at odds over Russian support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad, and last week’s shooting at a Planned Parenthood office in Colorado shows the need for sensible gun laws.
Obama criticized some of the rhetoric surrounding Planned Parenthood and abortion. Though there is a “legitimate, honest debate” about abortion in the USA, Obama said, people should make sure “we’re talking about it factually, accurately, and not demonizing organizations like Planned Parenthood.”
As Obama flew back to the USA on Tuesday, diplomats from about 180 countries remained in Paris to try to hammer out a global agreement designed to address the destructive impact of warming temperatures on the Earth’s environment.
The trend of global warming “affects all trends,” Obama said, making it “an economic and security imperative” for every country.
Officials in large industrial countries have questioned the idea of a global climate change agreement, saying it might hurt their economies. That group includes China, India — and the United States, where members of the Republican majority in Congress have vowed to block a variety of Obama administration climate change initiatives.
Obama said he is confident that Russia will realize that a successful campaign against the Islamic State will require Assad’s removal from power, which might not happen for some time.