U.S. backers of Paris accord set up camp at climate talks

SCI-TECH

U.S. backers of Paris accord set up camp at climate talks

The Associated Press Published Friday, December 7, 2018 9:16AM EST

People walk down the stairs inside the venue of the COP24 UN Climate Change Conference 2018 in Katowice , Poland, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Text:

KATOWICE, Poland - Hundreds of U.S. states, cities, businesses and churches are establishing a presence at the UN climate talks to show that many Americans remain committed to curbing global warming.

The opening Friday of the U.S. Climate Action Center alongside pavilions from Britain, Poland and New Zealand contrasts with the low-key presence of the official U.S. government delegation.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, is holed up in a cubicle away from the main concourse. It currently has one public event planned Monday promoting U.S. technological innovations.

The Climate Action Center is backed by a grouping called We Are Still In that wants to maintain the 2015 Paris agreement aim of keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit).