Paris, Dec 12 (AFP) Former US secretary of state JohnKerry blasted the absence of the American government at amajor climate change summit in Paris today as a "disgrace".
About 60 world leaders and hundreds of ministers, companybosses, and environmentalists gathered for the One PlanetSummit called by French President Emmanuel Macron after DonaldTrump's decision to abandon the global climate accord.
Trump was not invited and the US federal government wasrepresented by the second-highest diplomat in the Americanembassy in Paris, Brent Hardt, two years to the day sinceKerry and then-president Barack Obama helped lead pain-stakingdiplomatic efforts to clinch the Paris accord.
"It's very disappointing, it's worse than disappointing,it's actually a disgrace when you consider the facts, thescience, the common sense, all the work that's been done,"Kerry told AFP on the summit sidelines.
The Paris Agreement took "26 years of work that's beingdishonoured by people who don't even understand the science,"he added.
American summit participants included the campaigninggovernor of California, Jerry Brown, as well as former NewYork mayor Michael Bloomberg who has put together a coalitionof cities, companies and activists called "America's Pledge"to help reduce US emissions.
Trump's announcement that he will withdraw from theglobal pact, which the United States is the only nation toreject, has cast doubt on the viability of the deal which aimsto keep global warming below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degreesFahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels.
Asked if the US could meet its Paris accord pledge toreduce emissions by at least 26 per cent by 2025, over 2005levels, Kerry was upbeat because of efforts at the locallevel.
"I think it is possible, yes," he told AFP.
Brown and Bloomberg both took aim at Trump's climatestance.
"We have a climate denier in the White House who saysclimate change is a hoax," Brown told a panel.
"We can't wait for the White House to wake up. We inAmerica are operating from the grassroots... Our work isincredibly difficult.
"We have mobilised to some extent, but we are not yet ontrack to reduce the rising greenhouse gases," he added.
Bloomberg said the 1,700-member coalition of regionalgovernments, cities, companies, and civil society groups thathave formed America's Pledge, represent more than half the USeconomy.
"If it was a country it would have the world's third-largest economy and it continues to grow," he said.
"Together we are going to meet the goal set by thiscountry in Paris by reducing emissions by at least 26 per centand there isn't anything that Washington can do to stop this,"he added.
"On the contrary, President Trump has helped rally peoplewho understand the problem to join forces and to actually dosomething rather than wait for the federal government... Inthat sense we owe President Trump a measure of gratitude forhelping us meet our goals," he quipped. (AFP)ZH.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.