Barack Obama: We can't just 'preach to the choir' or 'block traffic' to tackle climate change
Barack Obama said people must win over sceptics on climate change, and it isn't enough to "preach to the choir" or block traffic to tackle environmental problems.
In a speech to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow on Monday, he said we must persuade people that immediate climate action is important for us all.
The 44th president of the United States praised young people for their climate action efforts, but said we must listen more to climate sceptics if we want to address global warming.
“We can’t just yell at (climate sceptics), or say they’re ignorant", he said.
"We can’t just tweet at them, it’s not enough to inconvenience them by blocking traffic in a protest."
Mr Obama added that we must listen to people who think negatively about taking climate action, and understand that some people may have reservations about their countries moving "too fast" on climate change.
“We have to understand their realities and work with them so that serious action on climate change doesn’t adversely impact them", he said.
In a wide-ranging speech, the 60-year-old, who now runs the Obama Foundation with his wife Michelle, reserved special praise for young people, who he said are leading the way on climate action.
Mr Obama mentioned his two daughters - both in their twenties - and said he understood why young people so passionate about climate change.
“The reason is simple: they have more stake in this fight than anyone else. That is why I want to spend the rest of my time today talking to young people", he said.
“If those older people won’t listen, they need to get out the way", he added.
This morning in a speech to Pacific island nations, Mr Obama said rich countries must take more responsibility for climate change, and that everyone has "sacrifices to make" when it comes tackling environmental problems.
When it comes to climate change, “all of us have a part to play, all of us have work to do, all of us have sacrifices to make”, Mr Obama said.
Former US president Barack Obama arrived at COP26 to applause on Monday morning
He added that people who live in wealthy nations have an added burden when it comes to global warming, as wealth nations "helped to precipitate the problem” of climate change.
The 60-year-old, who is from the US island state of Hawaii, spoke to leaders and delegates from Pacific island nations that are threatened by sea level rises.
He described himself as an "island kid" and said our islands are now "threatened more than ever” by global warming.
Mr Obama said island states are the "canary in the coalmine" for climate change, and will suffer the most catastrophic effects of global warming before other countries.
Mr Obama, who was accompanied by US climate envoy John Kerry, ended his speech this morning with a Hawaiian proverb, urging people to unite to move forward.
“It’s a reminder that if you all want to paddle a canoe you better all be rowing in the same direction and at the same time, every oar has to move in unison", he said.
"That’s the only way that you move forward".
The former president, who served from 2009 to 2017, helped negotiate the 2015 Paris climate agreement between world leaders. This was a series of climate action commitments between nations.
The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
Each year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets at what is called the Conference of the Parties (abbreviated as COP) to discuss the world's progress on climate change and how to tackle it.
COP27 is the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties summit which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.
Who is going?
Who is going?
Leaders of the 197 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty that came into force in 1994 - are invited to the summit.
These are some of the world leaders that will be attending COP27:
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the conference, after initially saying he wouldn't as he was too busy focusing on the economy within his first weeks in office.
US President Joe Biden and his experienced climate envoy, John Kerry, will appear at the talks.
France President Emmanuel Macron will also be among the heads of state from around the world staying in Egypt.
King Charles III will not be attending COP27, despite being a staunch advocate for the environment. The decision was made jointly by Buckingham Palace and former prime minister Liz Truss.
Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not attend the talks just as they decided to do for COP26.
What is it hoping to achieve?
What is it hoping to achieve?
1. Ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement and putting negotiations into concrete actions - included within this is the target of limiting global warming to well below 2C.
2. Cementing progress on the critical workstreams of mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage, while stepping up finance notably to tackle the impacts of climate change.
3. Enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the UN Climate Change process.