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Connect the World

Environmental Activists Pushing For Strong Action on Climate Change; Russian President Will Not Meet Turkish President in Paris; Remember Rugby Legend Jonah Lomu. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET

Aired November 30, 2015 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: 150 world leaders are attending with one goal, a final deal to try to stop global warming. This hour, we are live in

Paris and in Beijing to tease out the aims of these high stakes talks.

Also ahead, a snub on the sidelines of that meeting. Russia's leader refuses to meet Turkey's president as a row over a downed warplane rumbles

on.

Plus, a death centers in Saudi Arabia causes an international outcry. We'll

tell you why this hour.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: A very good evening from the UAE, first to a meeting at which, to quote one leader, the stakes have never been so high. Amid

protests at home and abroad, French President Francois Hollande uttered that warning as he opened two weeks of intense talks.

The goal: to try to hold climate change by limiting harmful emissions.

Now, the problem, not everyone agrees there is even a problem. And for many activists, the proposed solution doesn't go far enough.

And the long-term outlook, if a deal isn't reached, according to many observers, a bleak cocktail of life-threatening pollution, harvests

failing, leading to crippling food and water shortages. Even more, instability and war. And potentially whole parts of the world turned

uninhabitable.

Well, the leader of the world's second largest carbon emitter says he is ready to embrace his nation's responsibility. U.S. President Barack

Obama, says climate change is a global threat and the time to act is now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If this is a turning point, this is the moment we finally determined we would save our planet,

is the fact that our nations share a sense of urgency about this challenge and a growing realization that it is within our power to do something about

it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, our Matt Rivers is in Beijing this even where authorities have raised a smog alert to the highest level of the year.

First, though, let's get to CNN digital columnist John Sutter who is in Paris.

And John, given that the best known milestone was the Kyoto Protocol back in 1992, more than 20 years on, and with major points of contention,

not least over limits, fairness and money, what chance the reality of what's known as a legally binding global emissions agreement in Paris, do

you think?

ANDERSON: So, you're right, this has been going on for a long, long time. This meeting is called COP21 because this is the 21st time the

parties are meeting to talk about this. So, it's -- you know, it's not something that's new.

But I think the world is completely different than it was during the Kyoto protocol. And a binding treaty is actually not something that is on

the table from the negotiators that I've been talking with.

They're looking for some sort of peer pressure way to get countries to, you know, commit to specific targets, as most of them have already

done. And then follow through on those over time. And they're using like international pressure mechanisms basically to try to get countries to cut

down their emissions.

I think the other thing that's like really important to note here is that the U.S. and China, as you mentioned, are both you know at the table

here making strong statements, speaking very optimistically about the chances of, you know, changing, getting off of fossil fuels, moving towards

a cleaner future.

And I think that maybe just symbolic, but it really does mean something. The fact that they're at the table gives the odds of an

agreement here even if it isn't binding, much better shot. And even a non- binding agreement would send signals to the market, to world leaders to industry that, you know, that fossil fuels are behind and that we're moving

in a cleaner direction. I think that holds a lot of currency even if there's not the legal stick behind it.

ANDERSON: John, what is Paris doing to secure the nearly 150 world leaders and more than 40,000 attendees less than three weeks after the

attacks early this month?

SUTTER: So, there's quite a lot of security here and many roads have been closed down. There are 6,300 police here on site from what I'm told.

So, it is a very secure location. I mean, you get that sense being here.

I was at the protests over the weekend where there was a clash with police between some of the demonstrators. But I will say that I don't

think that has overshadowed what's going on here or should overtake the importance of what's on the table here.

This is the one chance that the world has right now for everyone to focus on this issue that is so long-term, so in the future, that it's very

easy to ignore.

And so I think the fact that you have all of these world leaders in one place

talking about this is a really unique opportunity. It does come with the backdrop

of the Paris attacks, that's very significant and needs to be stated. But I don't

think the security situation is undermining the progress that needs to happen here with the negotiations that are taking place.

[11:05:28] ANDERSON; John is in Paris for you this evening. The COP21 summit -- thank you, John -- isn't about politicians coming up with

abstract goals for the future. Scientists say climate change is here and is a growing threat to the planet.

And tackling the problem will be a major challenge, they say.

Take China, for example, the world's biggest producer of greenhouse gases. People in the north are being told to stay indoors today after the

worst smog of the year hit the capital Beijing.

Authorities have issued the second highest level of alert, an orange alert.

Well, let's put the pollution in China into context. The United Nations says an air quality reading of more than 100 is unhealthy for at-

risk groups such as people with asthma.

Guess what the level is in China's most polluted town today? 10 times that: or 1,000. That figure comes from China's own ministry of

environmental protection.

CNN's Matt Rivers experienced the situation firsthand. He joins us now from Beijing.

Just give us a sense of the extent of the problem, Matt.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORREPSONDNET: Well, I can tell you that the numbers that you read out would be as unpleasant as you might imagine.

We went down to Baoding both last week and this week. And last week it really wasn't that bad. This week, today, it was really something.

As soon as you got out of the car, even while you were in the car, you could feel the pollution, you could feel it in your eyes, you could taste

it in the air, you could smell it. It had a very distinct smell. You could even smell it on your

clothes after you came out of that pollution. It really permeates into every part of life.

And while we were able to leave Baoding, come back here to Beijing where the air is not that great, but still, we have air filters in our

bureaus. It is a little better here in Beijing. Down in Baoding, many people don't have those kind of luxuries, they have to live in that

environment day after day, but there are people in that city who are trying to doing their best to make things better.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: These are streets choked with pollution, thick enough to see, to burn your eyes, to leave an acrid taste in your mouth. This is Baoding,

China's the most polluted city where daily life goes on under the cloak of a toxic shroud.

Jao Shwong (ph) grew up here. He's raising his young son here and the air they breathe is always on his mind.

"When the pollution get really serious, we can't even see the buildings next to us," he says. "We can't even describe how bad the smell

is."

Like thousands of others here, he gets ready for work each morning and heads out into the haze as a coal power plant churns out toxins above.

Jao (ph) works in the energy sector, too, though his factory hopes to make coal obsolete.

This is Jingli Solar (ph), one of the largest solar power companies, right in the middle of Baoding and business is booming. The company says

they have plans to more than double their current capacity by 2020.

UNIDENITIFIED MALE (through translator): I believe there will be a large increase in renewable energy industry, no matter its solar power,

wind power or others.

[08:06:02] RIVERS: In 2014, Chinese companies invested over 80 billion U.S. dollars in

renewable energy products. No country in the world invested more.

And yet despite all of that, renewable energy accounts for only 10 percent or so of China's energy supply. this is a country where coal

remains king. Many families keep piles of coal like this one to burn for warmth during the winter months. It is a major pollutant, but it is also

cheap and it is efficient and because of that, it accounts for between 60 and 70 percent of China's energy supply.

Coal use actually slowed in 2014, but the country still consumes nearly as much as the rest of the world combined. China is the world's

largest greenhouse gas emitter, but the government had said its emissions will peak by 2030.

To hit that goal, they'll need the help of companies like Jingli (ph) and workers like Jao Shwong (ph).

"I'm very concerned about my son's health," he says, "if the air pollution stays like this, he won't ever be able to leave the house."

So he hopes his work will help make things better so his son won't be afraid to take a deep breath.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:10:06] ANDERSON: Matt the Chinese president is in Paris, and to be fair, Chinese companies invested more than $80 billion in renewable

projects last year, more than any other nation on Earth. Where are China's red lines in these climate change talks?

RIVERS: Well, they go there, I think, with a very honest intent to, what they say, is to secure some kind of long-term deal when it comes to

climate change. The Chinese officials have been very open about their desire to do so. Scientists here as a result of being prodded by the

government actually released a report that actually was very honest in talking about the effects that climate change

will have, very negative effects, here in China.

That said, Chinese officials have also been very firm in saying that they consider themselves to still be a developing country despite having

the world's second largest economy, so they say that they should not be held to the same standards that perhaps already developed nations like the

United States would be held to when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.

They have also said that their goal is to continue to grow their GDP by 6.5 percent per year for the next five years, and frankly, the only way

that that is going to happen is if China can continue to rely on cheaper forms of energy like the coal that powers it today.

ANDERSON: Matt is in Beijing for you, John was in Paris.

And still to come tonight, outrage over a death sentence for a poet in Saudi

Arabia. We'll have the latest on the case drawing international criticism.

First up, though, Russian President Vladimir Putin in Paris for those climate talks as well, but the Kremlin says there is one man he will not be

talking to. We'll have the latest on tensions between Russia and Turkey after this short break.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:15:18] ANDERSON: This is CNN and Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back. At 15 minutes past 8:00 in the UAE.

I want to move to the growing fallout between Russia and Turkey at this point. On Monday, the Kremlin told CNN the Russian President Vladimir

Putin will not meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week. They are both attending global climate change talks that we've been

discussing in Paris, but diplomatic ties have deteriorated rapidly since Turkey shot down this Russian warplane it said violated its airspace.

Russia insists that wasn't the case and that it was wrongly hit in Syria.

But when I met Mr. Erdogan last week, he insisted on reaching out and talking to Mr. Putin face-to-face. Have a listen to what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDNET OF TURKEY (through translator): We have made such a request. And there has been no response to my request

yet, but our ministers of foreign affairs had contact. But, of course, we have asked for a bilateral talk in Paris, because otherwise you know I

don't want to have no meeting in Paris.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: I don't want to have no meeting in Paris, he told me last week.

Well, Ian Lee is following the latest developments and joins me from Istanbul tonight. And Putin's refusal to meet not going down very well with

the Turks, is it not least Mr. Erdogan?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Becky. And we heard from the prime minister today saying that they're ready to

talk to the Russians on all different levels. They're ready to talk about their economy, they're ready to talk about coordination of airplanes over

Syria, they're also willing to talk about the incident into further detail and to give information to the Russians that shows that what they say is

the violation of their air space.

So they're ready to talk, but it has just been silence from Moscow.

Now, there is another opportunity for them to meet on December 15 where President Erdogan is scheduled to go to Moscow for a meeting. We do

not know if that trip is still going to happen. But we also heard from the Turks saying that these economic sanctions will hurt both countries,

they're not just going to hurt Turkey, they're going to hurt Russia as well.

Turkey has about -- Russia exports about $22 billion worth of goods to Turkey, and Turkey is about $6 billion to Russia. So there is a lot of

trade there that could also be damaging to the Russian economy as well.

And the one thing that they also pointed out was that when Europe was sanctioning Russia over their actions in Ukraine, Turkey did not impose

sanctions on Russia. But right now the Turks are wanting to have a dialogue, but Russia is still saying no.

ANDERSON: I was with you in Ankara last week, Turkish officials, not least those around Mr. Erdogan and Erdogan himself, talking about trying to

de-escalate the situation. Clearly that isn't happening from the Russian side.

Officials in Turkey have been trying to extend this olive branch to Moscow. What are people on the street make of all of this, Ian?

LEE: Well, President Erdogan can be a very divisive figure, but the people in Turkey by and large, when it comes to issues of national

security, they rally around the flag.

Well, talking to many people, they said that if this plane violated their air space, then it deserved to be shot down.

That being said, they do not want to see this escalated. They don't want to see any sanctions on the economy. They are worried about it,

especially, as you know, it's winter here. Turkey gets about 60 percent of its gas from Russia. They do not want to see that tap closed or that flow

diminished.

There is also other sectors: tourism is really big here as well. They're afraid of that -- of a real hit against their tourism sector which

is about $3 billion from Russia.

So there is a lot of concerns about the economy. But when it comes to a plane violating the air space, there is one of nationalist pride. And

they say that they don't want this to happen and that they stand behind the president's and the military's actions, Becky.

ANDERSON: Ian Lee is in Istanbul for you.

And you can see the entire conversation from when I sat down with the Turkish president last week on CNN.com where he spoke candidly about the

downing of that plane and the wider repercussions for both countries and for the region. That's CNN.com

Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson.

Coming up, scientists and others say it's now more urgent than ever to stop climate change. So, can world leaders do it this time around? I'm

going to ask activist and author Naomi Klein ahead.

First up, though, this man has been sentenced to death over his poetry. Find out why Ashraf Fayadh has been getting international support

up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:23:43] ANDERSON: Right, you're back with us at 23 minutes past the hour in the UAE.

Earlier this year, the public flogging of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi caused an international outcry. Well, now Saudi Arabia is facing another

backlash over a decision to sentence a poet to death for apostasy. That is when a person

no longer chooses to follow Islam.

Now Ashraf Fayadh is alleged to have mocked the Koran and the prophet Muhammed in his writings. But supporters say the allegations are false and

the trial was flawed.

CNN's John Jensen is here with more on Ashraf's story.

What happened, Jon?

JON JENSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was arrested in 2013 in a town in southern Saudi Arabia called Alba. This is a conservative part of

Saudi Arabia. The man, of course Ashraf Fayadh he's a poet, a writer, an artist, he's a Palestinian born in Saudi Arabia, living in Saudi Arabia,

and he's also 32 years old, according to his family.

Now, we've spent the past few days reaching out to family, friends, even acquaintances and indeed human rights groups as well as activists to

get a better sense of just how a poet wound up on death row.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON JENSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Those who have met him describe Ashraf Fayadh as a poet and writer, brimming with hope that his

work would help develop the art scene in Saudi Arabia. Today, Fayadh is sitting in a Saudi prison facing the death penalty.

The Saudi-born Palestinian poet was charged this month with insulting Islam and apostasy, mostly through his writing.

Human Rights Watch say Fayadh was first arrested in 2013 after he argued with a man in a cafe over his poetry and a complaint was filed with

the Saudi ultra conservative religious police that he insulted Islam. Later, he was initially sentenced to four years in prison with 800 lashes,

charged with having inappropriate relations with the opposite sex after police discovered photographs on his phone posing with women at an art

gallery.

(on camera): An appeal by prosecution is what led to the recent conviction of death. Now CNN has reached out to Saudi authorities for

comment on Fayadh's case but there's been no response.

(voice-over): Human rites groups have expressed outrage at the case, saying Fayadh was exercising personal freedoms of expression. A London-

based association of writers condemned the verdict in an open letter, calling for his release. Britain's poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, and

Syrian poet, Adonese (ph), were two of many prominent writers to sign.

The monarchy is facing increasing international criticism over its opaque judicial system. Earlier this year, a Saudi blogger received the

first set of a sentence of 1,000 lashes following a conviction for insulting Islam online. That man, Raif Badawi, also received 10 years in

prison.

Many death sentences in Saudi are conducted by beheading. Fayadh may yet have hope. He can appeal to Saudi's highest court within 30 days.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:26:46] ANDERSON: Now, Becky, I've read some of Fayadh's poetry. It's been posted online in the past couple of days by social activists.

There are certainly religious undertones, there are references, metaphors, if you will, to the oil industry, to poverty, but none of what I read

appeared to be very critical at all of the state or Islam.

Then again, Becky, you know that art and poetry is very much open to interpretation.

ANDERSON: Jon Jensen with us this evening. Jon, thank you.

The latest world news headlines are just ahead here on CNN.

Plus, Pope Francis heads back home after visiting an active war zone. We'll look back at what he achieved in Africa.

Plus, securing the future of the planet, under the planets tightest security. How authorities are keeping the summit safe up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:31:20] ANDERSON: Welcome back. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Half past 8:00 here in the UAE. The top stories for you

this hour.

And world leaders gathering for what is a crucial climate change conference in Paris, they say. More than 140 leaders in attendance with

the French President Francois Hollande saying, quote, "the stakes have never been so high." The goal is to reach a binding agreement to help stop

global warming.

Well, two leaders who won't be meeting at that climate conference are Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip

Erdogan. The Kremlin refused a meeting. Diplomatic ties between the two countries deteriorated after Turkey shot down a Russian war plane it says was

violating its air space.

Pope Francis is on his way back to the Vatican after finishing a six day tour of Africa. He spent his final day visiting a mosque in Central

African Republic's capital, a city that has seen violent clashes between Muslims and Christian militia.

The pontiff also visit Kenya and Uganda. A Jerusalem court has convicted two Jewish-Israeli teens of murdering a Palestinian teenager last

year.

Now, the victim was speaking and burned alive. A third person was also found

responsible, but his verdict was temporarily suspended after his attorneys made a last minute claim that he was not mentally responsible for his

actions.

CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us now from Jerusalem with more -- Oren.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERANTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And it's really this last decision, this suspension of the conviction in the case of the

ringleader here, Yousef Ben-David, that's really thrown this into a bit of legal disarray and angered many, including the prosecutor here who wanted

to see a conviction today.

Now, this all comes at the last possible minute. This is months after the trial. The judge, in fact, found that all three, the two miners, and

Yousef Ben-David where responsible for this barbaric murder, carried it out. It was premeditated. And the two minors are one step here where they

have to be evaluated by a social worker to make sure that because they are minors they're ready to be sentenced and there is no other question here.

But it's the third one, the ringleader here, Yousef Ben-David, who was silent throughout this entire trial. His lawyer has said he was mentally

unfit to stand trial, but offered no evidence until again months after the trial here, really the last possible second, his lawyer submits this

paperwork that said he is essentially an insanity defense here.

So, the prosecutor is outraged, as is the family here seeing this as a delay of justice in a case that's more than a year old at this point --

Becky.

ANDERSON: Oren Lieberman is in Jerusalem for you this evening.

Our top story tonight, the future of the planet rests, we are told at least, on what is decided at COP21. That was the message from the French

President Francois Hollande as he opened the climate summit a few hours ago in a city rocked by terror only weeks ago.

Mr. Hollande said the world faces two big threats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): And I'm not choosing between the fight against terrorism and the fight against

global warming. These are two major global challenges that we must overcome. Because we must leave our children more than a world free of

terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, more than 150 world leaders joining Mr. Hollande in Paris

right now trying to reach an agreement on cutting carbon emissions. The stakes, then, very high, they say, with global protests before what's being

described as humanity's last chance to avoid catastrophe.

Remember, the conference called COP21 because this is the 21st time that leaders have gathered to try and tackle the problem.

Will they rise to the challenge this time?

Let's speak to Naomi Klein, an activist and author of "This Changes Everything." She joins me now from the site of the summit in La Boucher

(ph) in France just outside of Paris.

And Naomi, last chance saloon, stakes have never been higher, never faced such a test. There will be viewers watching this show tonight who

will consider those words alarmist. They've heard it all before, they'll say, to which you say what?

[11:35:46] NAOMI KLEIN, ACTIVIST: Well, I think we heard some very powerful speeches from President Obama, from Francois Hollande. But what

I'm hearing, particularly from delegations from the developing world, is we need specifics.

You know, these summits are always places where leaders make powerful speeches. We haven't heard a lot of detail about how we're going to get

there. It seems like we're moving away from a legally binding agreement, so at the same time, as we hear a lot about the need for ambition and how

the world is hanging in the balance, we're kind of getting the opposite message.

Everything is supposed to be voluntary. We know that doesn't work terribly well when it comes to regulating corporations. And in terms of

what Francois Hollande said about these two threats, actually, I think it would have been more powerful for him to talk about how war conflict,

terrorism and climate change are actually interconnected, that the same forces are driving both, that the middle East has been destabilized in part

because of the west's desire for fossil fuels, the driving force of climate change.

ANDERSON: Naomi, you along with other leading activists published what you call the leap manifesto. It's specifically directed at Canada, I

know. But in reading it seems like a blueprint that could be used across the world.

In it you say, quote, "the time for energy democracy has come. We believe not just in changes to our energy sources but that wherever

possible, communities should collectively control these new energy systems."

What do you mean by that, exactly?

KLEIN: So we published the leap manifesto in Canada during the federal election, but we were hoping that it would inspire other countries,

and we're having a workshop this week, hoping to inspire Europeans and Americans and other countries to do something similar.

So what we mean is that we are facing multiple crises around the world. Yes, the climate crisis is real, but we are also facing a crisis of

inequality, of joblessness, austerity. There is also the refugee crisis.

What if we looked for solutions that solved multiple problems at once?

You mentioned energy democracy, and that's really the center of the leap manifesto. And by energy democracy, what we mean is that as we

transition away from fossil fuels, which is inevitable, let's do it in a way that builds a fairer economy. Let's do it in a way that brings

resources to communities so that they can pay for services. Let's fight austerity and climate change at the same time.

And this has really captured a lot of people's imaginations. We know from Germany that this actually works. In Germany, there's been a very

rapid energy transition along this model. So there are hundreds of German cities and towns that have taken back control over their energy grids from

private corporations. They own and control it. They call it energy democracy, and they created 400,000 jobs.

So this is an example of a real bottom-up, win-win model.

And frankly this is why there is a lot of concern about the restrictions on civil society, because these are the types of solutions

that I think we would have talked about in the streets if protests weren't banned.

ANDERSON: All right.

You're a prolific writer, so I want to just get our views a little bit more from a recent article you wrote for the New Yorker. You wrote about

how a climate deal for Paris could be the best hope for peace and war-torn places like

Syria. And you just alluded to that again.

How can you -- or we draw the link between crises like war and what you argue is a climate change crisis?

KLEIN: So, I think there is two forces to understand. One I already mentioned, which is that we know that the quest, the thirst for fossil

fuels, the thirst for oil and gas is a major driver of conflict. And that's one of the reasons why the Middle East has been so destabilized.

But in addition to that, the Middle East is the part of the world that is extremely vulnerable to climate change. There was a paper that was

published a couple months ago in Nature Climate Change (ph), a leading scientific journal, about the fact that if we stay on the emissions

trajectory that we are, if we stay on the road we are on, then large parts of the Middle East will been uninhabitable.

And we know that in Syria that a historic drought ahead of the civil war was a major driver of that conflict, not the only one. Obviously

dictatorship, you know, Islamic fundamentalism, all of this -- these all contributed to the outbreak of conflict.

But John Kerry has said several times that the drought and the fact that there was massive crop failure in Syria, that 1.5 million people had

to leave their lands because they could no longer sustain themselves went to cities

where tensions escalated, that that was one of the drivers of the outbreak of civil war.

So, what we really need is to have a holistic conversation about the connections between security and climate change.

[11:41:11] ANDERSON: and we'll do more on climate change, specifically about this region, as the week goes on. So, it's an important

issue.

Even if, Naomi, if there is a deal in Paris, it still has to pass through a myriad of domestic politics in different capitals. Now, Kyoto in

1992 comes to mind. What do you think -- and that's some more than 20 years ago, of course.

What do you think is the most realistic achievement in Paris?

KLEIN: Well, I think realistically, we should be hoping for significant financing from wealthier countries for poorer countries to be

able to deal with the impacts of climate change, and also, this is really crucial, to be able to leapfrog over fossil fuels and go directly to

renewable energy.

The good news is that the price of renewables is dramatically down. The price of solar has dropped by 75 percent in the past six years so that

in many parts of the world, it really is economically competitive with fossil fuels.

So, this idea that you have to burn coal in order to develop is no longer

true.

So, that's really important, but it does take resources, it does take technology.

The other issue that I think we have a right to hope for a legally enforceable deal. We understand that, realize there is certain wording

that we have to stay away for the United States to be able to sign onto it, but I think that this should be workable.

The other issue is that governments are honest at this point that what they come to the table with in Paris is not in line with what scientists

are telling us we have to do, and isn't even in line with what these governments agreed to in Copenhagen in 2009 at the last big summit to save

the world.

Our governments define dangerous warming as anything about 2 degrees Celsius, but if you add up all the pledges that countries are coming to the

table with in Paris, it doesn't add up to 2 degrees, it adds up closer to 3 degrees.

So one of the things that's really crucial is that there be room for improvement so that this deal has what's being called a ratcheting up

mechanism.

So, if this is what's considered politically feasible now, that means we have to change what is politically feasible in the next few years so

that governments come to the table next time with more ambition. And indeed, we have to mandate that.

So I think we have a right to hope for that. Indeed, we must.

ANDERSON: Naomi Klein is out of Paris for you this evening who has been very critical of how long it took to get here, tweeting only at the UN

does it take 21 years to get to the, quote, starting point.

Naomi, thank you for joining us.

Well, the UN predicts its climate change with exacerbate the global refugee problem with more people fleeing extreme conditions.

If you want to help refugees right now, the UN's refugee agency is seeking donations as part of its winter appeal. It's important. You can

see there on the right of the screen. That's on their website, unhcur.com. There is also much more on our website, that's CNN.com/impact. Go there to

help impact your world.

We are live out of Abu Dhabi this evening, this is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson for you. Coming up -- New Zealand says goodbye in its

own unique way to rugby's first global superstar, Jonah Lomu.

And it's possibly the most dangerous place he's visited as the pope. We're going to take a look at the impact of France's (inaudible) to the

Central Africa Republic. Taking a very short break. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:44:05] ANDERSON: Pope Francis is heading home after wrapping up a six-day visit to Africa. The most dangerous part of his journey was the

last in the Central African Republic.

The country has seen more than two years of violence between Christians and Muslims following a coup in 2013.

The pope also visited Uganda and Kenya.

CNN's Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Today in the Central Africa Republic was of moment of most concern for the pope's safety as he

visited a mosque in a neighborhood of the capital city that is considered particularly dangerous, because it is the site of a continued standoff

between Muslim and Christian militia here.

Flanked by Vatican security, UN and French troops and undercover detail, the pope said "God is peace. Salaam (ph). And that those who claim

to believe in god must be men and women of peace."

Tensions slightly lifted, the pope ended his six-day visit to Africa on a celebratory note. At an open-air mass here where he told a packed

stadium that the sufferings that they have experienced are opportunities for a new future.

A future that the people of this wartorn country certainly hope will be a brighter one after the visit of the pope.

Delia Gallagher, CNN, Bangui, Central African Republic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:50:27] ANDERSON: We are taking a very short break at this point here on CNN. Coming up though, for you later this evening, we'll turn to

New Zealand. to show you how the nation's rugby team said a final farewell to one of its legends. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, tonight's Parting Shots, New Zealand bids farewell to a sporting hero. Jonah Lomu has been called rugby's first global

superstar. He passed away on November 18 at just 40 years old.

Well, now fans and former teammates have said goodbye. Nicole Bremner gives us this look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICOLE BREMNER, JOURNALIST: Staunch in the face of sorrow, former All Blacks heeding a captain's call, throwing their hearts into a haka that

echoed around the ground Jonah Lomu loved to play on, one gesture among many that have been deeply appreciated by the Lomu family since the star

winger's death 12 days ago.

Wife Nadine released a dove in a final public act of farewell. The couple's two young sons freed another 39, one for each of Jonah Lomu's 40

years.

The boy from South Auckland was remembered with deep affection, by his old primary school, by past coaches...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: will there ever be another New Zealander whose sudden

passing hits CNN breaking news, who receives an obituary in the New York Times?

BREMNER: By past teammates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I knew he would be playing well when his nostrils started

flaring up. And I always used to make fun of him. I said no one could catch him because when the nostrils flared up, he took all the oxygen and

no one had anything else to catch him.

BREMNER: Those closest to the big man say fame made him a (inaudible) and it hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was actually a very private man. He kept his friends and family very close, and for the most famous rugby player in the

world, I also believe he was one of the loneliest rugby players in the world, too.

BREMNER: But that changed when he met Nadine and became a dad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wanted you to know I've been around the fellow a long time and this is the happiest I've ever seen him. It's the

happiest I've ever seen that fellow.

BREMNER: So much respect shown to a man who kept giving despite his own battle with illness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Officially, we salute All Black number 941.

But to the world, you will be known as the All Black who made number 11 his own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just blessed to be a part of your amazing journey, mate. We're going to miss you, big man. We're definitely going

to miss you.

I wish you peace, brother.

BREMNER: Nicole Bremner, One News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Back just to our top story tonight, and one goal of the climate change talks to stop warming short of 2 degrees Celsius. Take our

2 degrees challenge if you will. See if you are willing to do what it takes to help avoid disastrous climate change. If you succeed, the

thermometer will turn green. Go online to cnn.com/twodegrees.

And are you affected by climate change or worried about it? The team at Connect the World always wants to hear from you. Do send us your

thoughts, pictures and videos related to COP21 using the #twodegrees.

I'm Becky Anderson @BeckyCNN, tweet with me. That was Connect the World. Thank you for watching.

END