'We count on your pragmatism'

A UN climate conference Friday appealed to the "pragmatism" of president-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened to pull the US out of a global pact to rein in global warming.

"The message of the (conference) to the new American President is simple: 'We count on your pragmatism and your spirit of commitment," said Moroccan foreign minister Salaheddine Mezouar, who presides over the 22nd UN climate conference.

"The international community is engaged in a major battle for the future of our planet, for the dignity of millions and millions of people," he added in a message to Trump via journalists attending the annual climate huddle, in Marrakesh.

For this reason it was imperative to "stay the course" and continue the fight against climate change, which experts say threatens the human way of life, Mezouar added.

"We have absolutely no doubt about the spirit of pragmatism of president Donald Trump, nor the commitment demonstrated by the American people as a whole."

The first gathering of the UN's climate forum since last year's adoption of the Paris Agreement to curtail disastrous global warming, is tasked with drafting a roadmap for its execution.

It has been overshadowed by uncertainty about Trump's vow to "cancel" the pact to rein in greenhouse gas emissions blamed for planet warming.

On Thursday, the eve of the conference's closure, the nearly 200 parties to the talks made a rare united appeal for "the highest political commitment" to combat climate change.

Source: AFP