Climate Change Meeting in Paris
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES AMERICA: Fellow leaders, we have come to Paris to show our resolve. We offer our condolences to the people of France for the barbaric attacks on this beautiful city. We stand united in solidarity, not only to deliver justice to the terrorist network responsible for those attacks but to protect our people and uphold the enduring values that keep us strong and keep us free. And we salute the people of Paris for insisting this crucial conference go on. An act of defiance that proves nothing will deter us from building the future we want for our children. What greater rejection of those who would tear down our world than Marshalling our best efforts to save it. Nearly 200 nations have assembled here this week, a declaration that for all the challenges we face, the growing threat of climate change could define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other. And what should give us hope that this is a turning point, that this is the moment we finally determined we would save our planet is fact that our nations share a sense of urgency about this challenge and a growing realization that it is within our power to do something about it. Our understanding of the ways human beings disrupt the climate advances by the day. 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since the year 2000. And 2015 is on pace to be the warmest year of all. No nation, large or small, wealthy or poor, is immune to what this means. This summer I saw the effects of climate change firsthand in our northern most state, Alaska, where the sea is already swallowing villages and eroding shorelines. Where permafrost thaws and the tundra burns, where glaciers are melting at a pace unprecedented in modern times. And it was a preview of one possible future, a glimpse of our children's fate if the climate keeps changing faster than our efforts to address it -- submerged countries, abandoned cities, fields that no longer grow. Political disruptions that trigger new conflict, and even more floods of desperate peoples seeking the sanctuary of nations not their own. That future is not one of strong economies, nor is it one where fragile states can find their footing. That future is one that we have the power to change, right here, right now. But only if we rise to this moment, as one of America's governors has said, "We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change, and the last generation that can do something about it." I've come here personally, as the leader of the world's largest economy and the second-largest emitter, to say that the United States of America not only recognizes our role in creating this problem, we embrace our responsibility to do something about it. Over the last seven years, we've made ambitious investments in clean energy, and ambitious reductions in our carbon emissions. We've multiplied wind power three-fold and solar power more than twenty- fold, helping create parts of America where these clean power sources are finally cheaper than dirtier, conventional power. We've invested in energy efficiency in every way imaginable. We've said no to infrastructure that would pull high-carbon fossil fuels from the ground, and we've said yes to the first-ever set of national standards limiting the amount of carbon pollution our power plants can release into the sky. The advances we've made have helped drive our economic output to all- time highs, and drive our carbon pollution to its lowest levels in nearly two decades. But the good news is this is not an American trend alone. Last year, the global economy grew while global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels stayed flat. And what this means can't be overstated. We have broken the old arguments for inaction. We have proved that strong economic growth and a safer environment no longer have to conflict with one another; they can work in concert with one another, and that should give us hope. One of the enemies that we'll be fighting at this conference is cynicism, the notion we can't do anything about climate change. Our progress should give us hope during these two weeks -- hope that is rooted in collective action. Earlier this month in Dubai, after years of delay, the world agreed to work together to cut the super-pollutants known as HFCs. That's progress. Already, prior to Paris, more than 180 countries representing nearly 95 percent of global emissions have put forward their own climate targets. That is progress. For our part, America is on track to reach the emissions targets that I set six years ago in Copenhagen. We will reduce our carbon emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. And that's why, last year, I set a new target. America will reduce our emissions 26 percent to 28 percent below 2005 levels within 10 years from now. So our task here in Paris is to turn these achievements into an enduring framework for human progress. Not a stopgap solution, but a long-term strategy that gives the world confidence in a low-carbon future. Here, in Paris, let's secure an agreement that builds in ambition, where progress paves the way for regularly updated targets. Targets that are not set for each of us but by each of us, taking into account the differences that each nation is facing.</s>COUMO: All right. And there you have what's going to be the main message from President Obama of the United States, that progress can be made. But then you heard that last phrase there which is the critical part of finding consensus, finding a balance with the individual needs of each of the nations. That's the trick here at COP21, how do you create progress across the board? How do you find each country's middle ground of economic progress and responsibility for the environment? Alisyn, I just want to give you some of the headlines, for those are tuning in right now. President Obama calling COP21 an act of defiance because of the attacks that just happened here a couple of weeks ago in and around paris, that having this conference shows that the people of goodwill will not be deterred in their desire to make the world a better place. And obviously as headline as the world is hot, that this 2 degree celsius increase in temperature is a critical standard, since 1980 you've had the world, most scientists will tell you, heat up and maybe by as much as 0.85 of a degree. So you're getting close to 2 degrees already. But the president's message is that change in is in reach. He quoted a U.S. governor saying this generation is the first to feel the effects of global warming and the last generation who can do something about it. He also said that the United States is going to set a new goal for emissions reductions because we're ahead of schedule. So those are big themes but the big question is, Alisyn, how do they get consensus and does everything stay safe here for the duration of the summit?</s>CAMEROTA: Absolutely. You've given us a lot of material to work with, Chris, so will be back with you shortly because we do want to get analysis from our CNN political commentator and political anchor of Time Warner Cable News, Errol Louis, also CNN political analyst and political campaign correspondent for the New York Times, Maggie Haberman. Great to see you guys, hope you had a great Holliday.</s>ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND POLITICAL ANCHOR OF TIME WARNER CABLE NEWS: Good morning. Good morning.</s>CAMEROTA: So everything, let's just -- everything is happening in Paris, against the presidential race, back here at home. The Republicans don't agree, necessarily with President Obama that climate change is as big of a threat and that it is human cause. So how much hate for Republicans over campaign to make of what (ph) President Obama is saying in Paris.</s>LOUIS: Well, that there are the candidates who will going to just sort of dismiss the facts out of hand and say that, "I don't accept the premise of the entire summit." And so, they'll write themselves out of the conversation. Among the others though, that there are some important questions like the Keystone XL pipeline that the Republicans have all sort of said, "I promise to sort of reawaken that conversation. I promise to do what I can to get fossil fuel out of the ground and into the economy. This is going to be sort of an important question for both Democrats and the Republicans to sort of come up with. If it becomes a major campaign issue, it will be part of not just the president's legacy but also a part of the next election.</s>CAMEROTA: Does this event make it higher up on the totem poll of campaign issues?</s>MAGGIE HABERMAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST AND POLITICAL CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES: I think there's no question although I don't think at least in the short-term for the Republican primary are going to see a trump terrorism as Chris just said. That's really what you're seeing undermines of a lot of people when it comes to Paris right now. But I think Errol is right, that I think (inaudible), if they're -- an accord is reached, it is going to have sweeping implications for what comes next in terms of the person who replaces President Obama. You were going to see a lot more from Republicans. You actually have heard the Democrats talking about climate change quite a bit, most notably, Bernie Sanders. I think this is going to rise, especially in a general election for right now as the Republican primary is playing out, I think it will remain a secondary issue.</s>CAMEROTA: Let's talk about what happened over the weekend. All of the -- many of the candidates were on the Sunday shows. And Donald trump once again repeated his seemingly specious claim that there were thousands of extremists celebrating in New Jersey as the twin towers were falling. Here's what he said on "Meet the Press."</s>DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've had hundreds of people call in and tweet in, on Twitter, saying that they saw it and I was 100 percent right. Now, the Washington Post also wrote about tailgate parties. We're looking for other articles and we're looking for other clips. And I wouldn't be surprised if we found them, Chuck. But for some reason they're not that easy to come by. I saw it. So many people saw it, Chuck, and so why would I take it back? I'm not going to take it back.</s>CAMEROTA: Maggie, for some reason, the photographic evidence of this is not that easy to come by.</s>HABERMAN: For some reason these clips claiming these events that other people can't seem to remember aren't that easy to come by. The way that he has been citing my colleague Serge Kovaleski story from when Serge was at the Washington Post, September 18th, 2001, is not accurate.