The Latest: Experts: all words, not enough action on climate

The Latest on the Climate Action Summit taking place at the United Nations (all times local):

3 p.m.

Outside experts say they are hearing a lot of talk at a U.N.-sponsored climate conference, but none of the promised action needed to keep future warming to a few tenths of a degree.

They say the words from leaders aren’t adding up to the dramatic changes the world needs.

Bill Hare, who follows national emissions and promises for Climate Action Tracker, called what was said “deeply disappointing.”

Economist John Reilly, co-director of MIT’s Joint Center for Global Change says he hears promises but isn’t seeing many accomplishments.

David Waskow, international climate chief at the World Resources Institute, said smaller nations are making commitments, but the big carbon polluters the U.S., China, the European Union and others which make up the majority of emissions still aren’t stepping up.

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12:30 p.m.

In a none-too-subtle jibe at Trump’s plans to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, said countries “must honor our commitments and follow through on the Paris Agreement.”

“The withdrawal of certain parties will not shake the collective goal of the world community,” Wang said to applause.

He made the remarks Monday at climate summit sponsored by the United Nations where more than 60 world leaders were scheduled to speak.

Earlier, Trump made a quick, unscheduled stop at the conference, listened quietly and left without saying anything.

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12:05 p.m.

While presidents and premiers talked about what they hoped to do within their own borders, French President Emmanuel Macron reminded his colleagues that they need to include climate change in their trade and finance policies.

Macron said countries should not import goods that increase carbon pollution nor fund polluting plants in other countries.

He also begged other nations to increase their pledges to the Green Climate Fund, which helps poorer nation with climate issues. France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Denmark and Sweden have recently doubled their pledges.

“We are now at $7 billion,” Macron said. “The target is $10 billion to make for the United States withdrawal” and he then suggested America should reconsider adding money to other leaders’ applause.

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11:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump has made an unscheduled brief stop at the U.N.’s Climate Action summit.

With the lights down and the program under way, Trump spent about 15 minutes at the summit, but did not speak.

He listened attentively as German Chancellor Merkel and India’s Narenda Modi spoke before leaving.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the UN’s special climate envoy, thanked Trump for stopping by. He added that it might prove useful to Trump “when you formulate climate policy” to a bit of laughter and applause on the General Assembly floor.

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10:50 a.m.

The United Nations is kicking off an all-day session to prevent a warming world from reaching even more dangerous levels.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the Climate Action Summit on Monday by saying: “Earth is issuing a chilling cry: Stop.”

Guterres told world leaders that it’s not a time to negotiate but to act to make the world carbon neutral by 2050. He wants to limit global temperature increases to a few more tenths of a degree, and he said the world can do it.

More than 60 world leaders are set to speak, kicking off with leaders from New Zealand, the hard-hit Marshall Islands, India and Germany.

The United States is not on the agenda, but a spokeswoman said President Donald Trump may pop in.

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