SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on Friday cited the frequent occurrence of many of natural disasters in the world this year as a justifying reason for the U.S. return to the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Addressing the two-day Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in San Francisco, Gore said it is the first time in history that two major storms are making landfall on the Atlantic and the Pacific simultaneously, in reference to Hurricane Florence and Super Typhoon Mangkhut that hit east U.S. coastal cities and northern Philippines early Friday.
Tropical Storm Florence has killed at least four people in North Carolina Friday after it came ashore as a Category 1 hurricane.
Gore mentioned previous hurricane disasters, saying Florence "is similar to Hurricane Harvey in the sense that they disrupt the Northern Hemisphere jet stream," which kept "these storms in the same place so that they drop so much water."
He said Super Typhoon Haiyan has created 44 million climate refugees, and these disasters affecting countries in the world have been further worsened by climate change.
"Even without the cyclonic storms, we are putting so much heat into the oceans," which calls for worldwide efforts to fight climate change.
The Paris agreement has pointed the way to a world that is united and take action that all 195 nations of the world are committed, he said.
The former U.S. vice president criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's decision last year to pull out of the landmark Paris Agreement that committed all states across the globe to take joint actions to address climate.
He said that maybe a future new government can get the U.S. back into the international climate accord if simply given 30 days notice.
Gore said he is optimistic that cities, states, countries and corporations will continue to expand the use of renewable energy, electric vehicles and other steps to limit climate change.
"We have the tools we need. We can solve this crisis. So that only leaves the final question: Will we change?" he said in an impassioned speech.
More than 4,500 representatives from across the world met at the 2018 GCAS to discuss measures, plans, and ambitions to bring down greenhouse emissions.
