WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House is praising what it calls “the most ambitious climate change agreement in history” after the United States and nearly 200 other countries backed the deal in Paris.
President Barack Obama plans to speak about the agreement at 5:30 p.m. from the White House Cabinet Room.
The White House says the accord establishes “a long-term, durable global framework” to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The U.S. is the world’s second largest climate polluter, and Obama has pledged that the U.S. will cut its overall emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent by 2030.
The climate talks already had run into opposition from Republicans who control Congress. They say Obama’s commitment to reduce emissions from U.S. power plants would cost thousands of American jobs and raise electricity costs.