President Francois Hollande of France, host of a crucial year-end conference to agree a global pact on climate change, said on Tuesday that the meeting’s success was “possible, not certain”.
President Francois Hollande of France, host of a crucial year-end conference to agree a global pact on climate change, said on Tuesday that the meeting’s success was “possible, not certain”.
“There are still a few issues that have to be settled,” the French leader told Europe1 radio during an official visit to China.
“Yes, failure is still possible, but today I am confident,” said Mr Hollande.
The November 30-to-December 11 UN summit in Paris will be opened by world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, China’s Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi of India.
The aim is to unite all the world’s nations in a single agreement on tackling climate change, with the goal of capping warming at two degrees Celsius over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
The agreement will be backed by a roster of national pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.
Mr Hollande said it was encouraging that major emitters like China and the United States, as well as developing nations were all deeply engaged in the notoriously combative negotiating process.
Asked if he thought the conference would be a success, Mr Hollande said: “It is possible, not certain.”
