The French president says that there are no more excuses when it comes to climate change.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a bleak assessment on the fight against climate change, telling an audience of world leaders and company executives at the One Planet Summit that the world is “losing the battle.”
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The leader, who has made climate change a focal point of his presidency, said that governments and business had run out of excuses.
He said: “We are losing the battle. Those before us were lucky. They could say they didn’t know. And it was true. We’ve known for about 20 years now. And every day that goes past, we know a little more.”
He went on to say that those present at his address need to realise that many of the Heads of State and Governments in attendance “in 50, 60 or 100 years, won’t have countries to govern” because climate change will have wiped them off the map.
“It’s as simple as that,” he concluded.
Addressing young attendees, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said President Donald Trump decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement did not reflect the views of most US citizens.
“When you hear people talk about that United States dropped out of the Paris Agreement, don’t pay any attention. The United States did not drop out of the Paris agreement. Donald Trump got Donald Trump out of the Paris agreement,” he said.
When it comes to climate change, all leaders are in the same boat.
However, with no internationally binding commitments made at Tuesday’s summit, poorer nations on the sharp end of global warming have no reassurance they’ll be able to cope.