COP22 president says climate change issue transcends politics after Trump's election

President of the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22), Salaheddine Mezouar, said Wednesday climate change issue transcends politics, after Donald Trump was elected the 45th U.S. president.

He congratulated Trump on the election, while attached great importance to the climate change issue, saying that it transcends politics and concerns "the preservation of our livelihood, dignity and the only planet on which we all live."

Trump has expressed his willingness to ditch the Paris Agreement in his presidential campaign, doubting mainstream scientific findings that droughts, floods and rising sea levels are linked to human activities.

Mezouar noted that "we are convinced that all parties will respect their commitments and stay the course in this collective effort," insisting that the presidency of COP22 will continue to discuss and mobilize to pursue progress, particularly with the new U.S. administration.

Now that the Paris Agreement has entered into force, all parties have the shared responsibility to continue the great progress achieved to date, he highlighted.

Meanwhile, dozens of U.S. young activists gathered Wednesday at the center of the conference site to denounce the election of Trump, "mourning" his win and shouting slogans against his positions on climate change.

Ryan Camero, a SustainUS member said that they are keeping the U.S. accountable to not just the communities most affected by climate change domestically, but also frontline communities across the globe. Endit