The COP21 United Nations conference on climate change which begins today is being presented by French media as "two weeks to save the Earth".
The gathering of 150 heads of state and government is the largest ever hosted by France. "Their presence en masse shows the necessity and urgency of action," said the French foreign minister and president of COP21, Laurent Fabius.
President François Hollande will begin greeting the heads of state and government in the Le Bourget exhibition park – usually the site of an air show – at 8am today.
The conference will formally open at 11.00am, with a minute of silence in homage to the victims of the November 13th attacks.
After the “family photo,” the heads of state and government have been asked to limit their speeches to three minutes each. Because their number is so great, they will speak in two different conference rooms.
The speeches will be interrupted for an all-organic lunch prepared by five leading French chefs.
Mr Fabius said the meal “will reflect environmental and French excellence, since diplomacy does not exclude conviviality – au contraire. We wanted to promote our gastronomy.”
All this week, the 1,500 negotiators who have hammered out a 50-page draft agreement will meet in groups and spin-off groups, behind closed doors. Their text will be finalised by Mr Fabius and the heads of 195 delegations between December 5th and 11th.
At the same time, leaders will stage symbolic media events to launch initiatives intended to curb global warming.
The three most important events today will be "Mission Innovation" led by Bill Gates and President Barack Obama. It will commit the 19 developed countries who represented 80 per cent of clean energy research to double their research and development budgets.
The White House is uneasy about security within the UN zone and has chosen to hold events involving Mr Obama off site. He will be the guest of honour at dinner at the Élysée Palace tonight.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will launch a “solar alliance” of countries lying between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
More than 100 countries enjoy more than 300 days of sunshine annually, and believe they can lower the cost of solar energy through economies of scale.
Finally, the World Bank will host a press conference with Mr Hollande and the heads of state of Canada, Chile, Ethiopia, Germany and Mexico to emphasise the importance of setting a price on carbon pollution.
Mr Fabius has said “the struggle against climate change and the struggle against terrorism are the two greatest challenges of the 21st century”.
France “has been called to play a role in both,” he added. “Is it an accident of history?”
