Kerry to travel to Paris to attend climate change summit

Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry would travel to Paris to attend the last phase of the climate change summit, his office said today.

“Kerry will travel to Paris, France, on December 7 to attend the 21st UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP21),” State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said.

“While in Paris, the Secretary will participate in numerous events surrounding COP21 where he will underscore the importance of ambitious, global action to address climate change and its devastating impacts around the world,” Toner said in a statement.

Earlier in Brussels, Kerry told reporters that COP-21 climate negotiations are critical.

“They represent one of the great security challenges of the world as well as environmental challenges, as well as energy challenges, as well as health challenges, as well as moral obligations,” he said.

“And these talks, I thought, got off to an encouraging start. They will be difficult, and over the past couple of days, the United States has announced a package of initiatives to complement an agreement and to continue demonstrating our commitment to working with our international partners, including the most vulnerable among us, in order to address the global threat of climate change,” Kerry said.

More than 180 nations representing more than 90 per cent of global emissions have come forward with their individual reduction targets, he said.

“So the message is crystal-clear: The world is ready to act on climate change, even if individual politicians or individual parties in certain places are unwilling to do so. The world is ready and the world demands that we act,” Kerry said.