French President Emmanuel Macron issued a stark warning on climate change at a summit in Paris on Tuesday, telling world leaders “we are losing the battle” against global warming. […]

Two years ago to the day, US secretary of state John Kerry shared in the cheers and champagne in Paris as world powers sealed a landmark global climate accord.

Returning to the French capital Tuesday for a follow-up summit, he cut a bitter and disappointed figure.

The United States’ commitment to fighting climate change — something both Kerry and former president Barack Obama hoped would be a key part of their joint legacy — was reversed in June when Donald Trump announced he would withdraw America from the Paris pact.

The lack of American leadership in tackling what Obama had termed “an existential threat”, was plain to see at the One Planet Summit in the French capital Tuesday where more than 50 world leaders and dozens of ministers met for talks.

“It’s very disappointing, it’s worse than disappointing, it’s actually a disgrace when you consider the facts, the science, the common sense, all the work that’s been done,” Kerry told AFP when asked for his thoughts on the US absence.