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LE BOURGET, France (AP) — The latest news from the U.N. climate conference in Paris, which runs through Dec. 11. All times local:
1:30 p.m.
President Barack Obama says without ambitious action on climate change, people may be forced to flee island nations and will become refugees.
Obama is meeting on the sidelines of global climate talks in Paris with leaders from island nations hit hard by rising seas and increasingly violent storms. Presidents and prime ministers from Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, St. Lucia, Barbados and Papua New Guinea are attending the meeting with Obama.
Obama says those countries aren't the most populous or influential. But he says their populations are "among the most vulnerable to the ravages of climate change."
The Hawaiian-born Obama is referring to himself as "an island boy." He says he understands the beauty and fragility of island life. Obama is calling for global financing tailored to the unique needs of island nations as they adapt to climate change.
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1:20 p.m.
U.S. President Barack Obama says the emerging global climate agreement must have transparency provisions and periodic reviews of carbon-cutting targets that are legally binding.
Obama is commenting on the legal framework for the agreement during a meeting with leaders of island nations hit hard by climate change.
Obama says the specific targets each country is setting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may not have the force of treaties. But he says to hold each other accountable, it's critical that "periodic reviews" be legally binding. He's referring to a mechanism sought by negotiators under which countries would ratchet up their commitments every five years.
Whether the climate deal should be legally binding has been a major sticking point in the talks, in large part due to the U.S. Obama would face dim odds at getting the Republican-run Congress to vote to approve a new climate treaty. That set off a search for a compromise where parts of the deal are binding and others are not, sparing the need for a new vote in Congress.
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12:50 p.m.
Chanting "Keep this fair, do your share," protesters at the Paris climate conference are warning that developing countries risk losing out on a global accord under negotiation to fight global warming.
A dozen activists unfurled banners and performed a skit Tuesday outside the exhibition halls hosting high-stakes climate talks through Dec. 11.
"COP is rigged for rich countries," read one banner, referring to the conference's formal name COP21.
A key sticking point in the talks is who should shoulder more economic responsibility for reducing emissions and helping countries cope with effects of global warming already under way.
Peruvian activist Maria Alejandra Rodriquez Acha said her country is facing climate threats on many fronts — from coastal erosion by the Pacific Ocean to shrinking forests in the Amazon.
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12:30 p.m.
France is promising 8 billion euros over the next five years for investment in renewable energy in Africa and to increase Africans' access to electricity.
President Francois Hollande's pledge Tuesday came in a meeting with 12 African leaders about the threats from climate change, including coastal erosion, advancing deserts and rivers that are drying up. The meeting is part of larger talks outside Paris this week and next aimed at an international accord to fight global warming.
"When a young student is forced to go study under a street lamp at night, it clearly demonstrates the electricity issue," Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said.
Hollande said, "The world, and in particular the developed world, owes the African continent an environmental debt."
The meeting also focused on financing for an African Union initiative known as the Great Green Wall, launched in 2007 to gather 11 countries to plant trees to combat the encroaching Sahara Desert and help people adapt to climate change.
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9:45 a.m.
French President Francois Hollande is holding talks with African leaders about what their countries need to cope with and reduce global warming.
The meeting Tuesday is part of broader international diplomatic efforts toward a possible long-term accord for all countries to cut man-made carbon emissions. Those emissions produce heat-trapping gases and scientists say are causing glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise and leading to more and more droughts and other extreme weather.
Hollande hosted President Barack Obama and 149 other world dignitaries Monday to kick off two weeks of U.N.-led climate talks outside Paris. The leaders agreed that something must be done to protect the planet for future generations, but now must overcome disagreements over who should shoulder the economic responsibility for cutting emissions and protecting countries already hit by climate change.
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9:15 a.m.
Envoys at the Paris climate conference say governments and companies need to do more to protect forests, which can help slow global warming.
Prince Charles, South American indigenous leaders and other dignitaries are holding a special meeting Tuesday to call attention to shrinking global forests from South America to Russia and Africa.
Peru's Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal told reporters ahead of the meeting that companies too need to do their part to limit deforestation. Envoys are urging greater efforts against illegal logging.
The world's forests play an important role in absorbing carbon dioxide released by man-made emissions from burning oil, gas and coal.
The meeting is part of two weeks of U.N.-led talks aimed at a worldwide, long-term accord to cut human-made emissions blamed for climate change.
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