WORLD: Obama tells young people to stay angry on climate fight

The ex-US president said “the US is back” under Joe Biden, and scolded China and Russia’s leaders for not physically attending the COP26 summit.

He criticised Donald Trump for “active hostility” towards climate science which he said had slowed progress.

“Time is running out… We are nowhere near where we need to be”, he said.

He called out nations for failing to meet the pledges they made in the 2015 Paris Agreement, when he was in the White House. However, activists were quick to point out the pledges that were broken by his own administration, including the failure of developed countries to deliver a promised $100bn a year in climate finance to poorer nations.

The former president insisted that despite political divisions in the US and the country’s absence from global climate efforts for four years during the Trump administration – it was back on track and committed to change.

He dedicated much of his speech to young activists, who he said were “right to be frustrated”.

He honoured the dedication of activists such as Greta Thunberg who are “forming movements across borders”, and urged young people to at least get out and vote for politicians who will stand against climate change.

“Vote like your life depends on it, because it does”, he said