After the latest terrorist attack on Paris that killed more than 125 people in the city, the French government announced on Monday that it has chose to restrict the United Nations climate change summit to core talks and negotiations. French prime minister Manuel Valls, an appointee of President Francois Hollande, said that the event would go on, but that concerts and other public events might be cancelled.
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“We are horrified by the attacks”, said Alix Mazounie of Climate Action Network in France, one of the groups planning the gathering to put pressure on world leaders attending the 30 November 11 December summit, convened to work out a plan to combat climate change.
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who is to chair the climate summit, said, in the current context, security requirements take priority.
A huge march through Paris on the eve of global climate talks in the French capital will not go ahead following Friday’s terror attacks.
Regardless of the decision about protesters in Paris, a number of climate change groups remain committing to making November 28 and 29 days of action, with demonstrations going on elsewhere in the world and with digital campaigns.
Despite these horrific events, the French government has declared that they will still move forward and host the United Nations Climate Summit (COP21).
The march is meant to start at Place de la Republique square, very close to the scene of Friday’s restaurant and bar shootings.
Aquino said he had not decided if he will attend the climate conference owing to the problem of El Niño in the Philippines.
“We’re still waiting for the French authorities to tell us if they think the march in Paris, and other mobilization moments around the climate talks, can be made safe and secure”, said Jean-François Julliard, Executive Director for Greenpeace in France, according to a statement.
“There is no contradiction between growth, development and being good stewards of the planet, they are complimentary, we have to break the mindsets that say if we are doing something about climate change it slows growth, we have to accelerate”, Obama said.
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The goal of the climate talks is to strike a deal to limit average global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
