Paris climate accord is a 'turning point for the world,' Obama says

WASHINGTON — Calling the just-concluded Paris climate agreement "a turning point for the world," President Obama said the ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gases would pave the way to reducing global temperatures but would not solve the problem by itself.

"No agreement is perfect, including this one. Negotiations that involve nearly 200 nations are always challenging," Obama said from the White House just hours after negotiators in Paris concluded the accord. But he continued, "This agreement represents the best chance we've had to save the one planet that we've got."

The Paris agreement represents a major milestone in Obama's presidency, coming nearly seven years after he promised to "roll back the specter of a warming planet" in his first inaugural address.

Obama called the accord "a tribute to American leadership" but said all of the 195 countries participating at the conference deserved credit. "Together we've shown what's possible when the world stands as one," he said.

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The agreement requires each country to set its own goals for greenhouse gas reduction, and to ratchet up those commitments every five years. And while many its provisions are not binding — especially on the United States, where it's unlikely to be ratified by the Senate — Obama said it "sends a powerful signal that the world is firmly committed to a low carbon future."

That signal, Obama argued, will force the world to look for alternative energy sources and "unleash investment and innovation in clean energy at a scale we have never seen before," paving the way to even steeper emissions reductions in the future.

With a nod to domestic politics, Obama defended his environmental policies from Republican critics who say the agreement puts the United States at a competitive disadvantage. "Skeptics said these actions would kill jobs. Instead we've seen the longest streak of private sector job creation in our history."

And to critics on the left who say the agreement isn't ambitious enough, Obama acknowledged that the Paris talks bring the world "only part of the way there."

"It won't be easy. Progress won't always come quick. We can't be complacent," he said. "We may not live to see the full realization of our achievement, but that’s OK."