Climate Change Summit continues

NC_lv50tweb_700x394President Obama is headed home from Paris tonight, leaving negotiators to work out an historic worldwide deal on climate change.

Behind the scenes, he’s also trying to get more backing for the fight against ISIS in Syria.

This morning, there are briefings and meetings on coal, China, India, scientific research in Antarctica and the Amazon. And the White House is announcing new business initiatives here to support what’s happening in Paris.

New this morning: the White House is announcing 73 more American companies promising to go green, reducing emissions by as much as half, and converting to 100 percent renewable energy. “This is the moment we finally determine we will save our planet,” said President Barack Obama.

Last night’s public dinner between Presidents Obama and Hollande, emphasized the president’s two-fold mission here:

Dealing with climate change, and defying terror: “They’re very different threats, but they’re both very serious.  And we have to deal with both of them,” said Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes.

There have been achievements here:

A big clean energy announcement by bill gates.

Meetings with the leaders of India and China – two of the world’s biggest polluters

A one-on-one with Russia’s Vladmir Putin on Syria: “The urgency should be on finding common ground,” said Rhodes.

More on Syria today with Turkey’s president.

But the crowning achievement here – a global climate change deal has yet to be announced.

The U.S. is insisting it not be called treaty, so it doesn’t have to be approved by Congress.

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