WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - On the heels of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut earlier this month, President Barack Obama declared Monday the world can reject the efforts of terrorists by taking action on climate change.
In remarks at the COP21 summit on the outskirts Paris, Obama described holding the conference in the French capital as an act of defiance.
'We stand united in solidarity not only to deliver justice to the terrorist network responsible for those attacks but to protect our people and uphold the enduring values that keep us strong and keep us free,' Obama said.
He added, 'What greater rejection of those who would tear down our world than marshaling our best efforts to save it?'
Obama acknowledged America's role in causing climate change as the world's second largest emitter but said the country embraces its responsibility to do something about the problem.
The president pointed to significant investments in clean energy and ambitious reductions in carbon emissions during his time in the White House.
Obama argued U.S. efforts have helped drive economic output to all-time highs while also reducing carbon pollution to its lowest levels in nearly two decades.
'The good news is this is not an American trend alone,' Obama said. 'Last year, the global economy grew while global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels stayed flat.'
'What this means can't be overstated,' he added. 'We have broken the old arguments for inaction. We have proved that strong economic growth and a safer environment no longer have to conflict with one another; they can work in concert with one another.'
Obama noted many nations that have contributed little to climate change will be the first to feel its most destructive effects and pledged to provide money to help poorer nations skip the dirty phase of development.
However, the president stressed that leaders need to act now, arguing that the world is quickly approaching a time when it will be too late to respond to climate change.
'Our generation may not even live to see the full realization of what we do here,' Obama said. 'But the knowledge that the next generation will be better off for what we do here -- can we imagine a more worthy reward than that? '
He added, 'Passing that on to our children and our grandchildren, so that when they look back and they see what we did here in Paris, they can take pride in our achievement.'
Obama will work with world leaders to secure a climate change agreement at the summit, although the deal would not be a formal treaty due to opposition from Republican lawmakers in Washington.
Reflecting opposition to the president's efforts, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump declared Obama's comments that climate change poses one of the greatest threats to the U.S. one of the 'dumbest things' ever said.
'I think one of the dumbest statements I've ever heard in politics -- in the history of politics as I know it, which is pretty good, was Obama's statement that our No. 1 problem is global warming,' Trump said Monday on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.'
'I think it's one of the dumbest things I've ever seen, or perhaps most naive,' he added. 'He actually is somewhat naive, if you want to know the truth, beyond the incompetent part.'
Trump argued the U.S. should be more concerned about potential terrorist attacks as well as the threat posed by countries such as North Korea.
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