Says US is at least partly to blame for the damage that climate change has wrought
Paris: President Barack Obama conceded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s point on Monday when he told the Paris conference that the United States is at least partly to blame for the damage that climate change has wrought, and urged world leaders to join him in fixing the problem. “I’ve come here personally, as the leader of the world’s largest economy and the second-largest emitter,” Obama said, “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.” Asking the leaders attending the meeting to recognize the urgency of the problem, he said: ‘‘No nation — large or small, wealthy or poor — is immune.” Obama met on Monday President Xi Jinping of China, which has started taking aggressive action to curb emissions, and has planned a similar meeting later in the day with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his sit-down with Xi, Obama touted close cooperation on climate change as vital to world efforts on global warming, and said nowhere had coordination with Beijing been more critical or fruitful than on climate change. China emits about 30 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases and the US about 16 per cent.
Smog closes 200 China expressways
Beijing: More than 200 expressways were closed and residents were advised to stay indoors as China grappled with the worst smog of the year, ahead of the Paris climate meet. Shandong province issued a yellow alert on Monday morning as visibility in parts of the region dropped below 200 meters. The public has been warned to take protective measures when engaging in outdoor activities and those who suffer from respiratory diseases have been advised to stay indoors.
