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Landmark Climate Deal; Swiss Terror Arrest; Saudi Women Battling for Social Change; Euro 2016 Draw. Aired Midnight-12:30a ET

Aired December 13, 2015 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[00:00:27] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Paris delegate pair a landmark climate deal as the best chance to save our planet, will it make a difference. We'll talk with an expert on climate change.

Ahead also, terror arrest in Geneva led to increase security.

And the Euro 2016 draw set up a new battle of Britain.

It's ahead here on CNN Newsroom. We're live from Atlanta. Thank you for joining us. I'm Natalie Allen.

Delegates from nearly 200 nations are now heading back to their countries with historic plan in their hands to help combat global warming. Representatives voted Saturday in Paris who adapt a sweeping climate deal. The biggest goal they set is to limit global warming to 2 degree celsius.

The plan also urges donation of $100 billion a year to help developing countries suffering from climate, problems they did not called.

U.S. President Barack Obama applauded the agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This agreement sends a powerful signal that the world is firmly committed to a low-carbon future. And that has the potential to unleash investment and innovation in clean energy at a scale we have never seen before. The targets we've set are bold. And by empowering businesses, scientists, engineers, workers, and the private sector, investors to work together, this agreement represents the best chance we've had to save the one planet that we've got.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Best chance perhaps but critics say, it lack key specifics on enforcement and if they're no punishment for nations that don't do their part.

CNN John Sutter has been following the climate conference in French. He has more on the agreement. And what nations must do now before it goes into effect?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN SUTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Paris on Saturday we saw history being made at the U.N COP21 Climate Change conference. 196 countries came together to agree, to try to fight climate change and reduce fossil fuel pollution over the courses of this century.

This is seen as a very landmark moment, not just for people who follow climate but for people who follow human rights really all of us, their huge implications for what was agreed to here. Countries basically signed into an agreement that has incredibly ambitious target of limiting warming to 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels or even 1.5 degrees celsius.

That second number 1.5 had really never been on the table before and it something that really surprised many observes here. Essentially means the worlds needs to move off fossil fuels later this century. And there's actually language including in this text that sort of encourages all of these countries to actually to do that.

So, if it's implemented in full force, you know, we would see a rapid transition towards a clean energy economy away from coal, oil, natural gas, the way that we've traditionally gotten energy for heat and electricity and, you know, a radical rethink of how the global economy is functioning, as of how that it'll happened and when it'll happen that's still remains to be seen.

They target the countries are put on the table. They sort of each brought their own plans to this process and said this is how we were going to cut our emissions.

Those of you add them all up, gets us to about 2.7 degrees celsius world. So that's, you know, not meeting these goals that have been set. But there are processes in place with this draft agreement to try to ratchet up these ambitions over time. And so experts I've talk to say that the you agree or 1.5 degree goal still is possibly insights. But it will remain to be seen what country do once they leave hear in Paris, go back home, they'll need to ratify this treaty first to make it have actual legal force.

And then they'll have to start putting national policies in place for rapidly greener economies. And, you know, everyone will be watching very closely to see whether this big moment here in Paris, all this ambition and optimism will trend to real change out there in the real world.

John Sutter, Le Bugue, France.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Professor Patrick Parenteau of Vermont Law School is a Climate Environmental Law expert. He joins us now via Skype from Vermont.

Thanks for joining us professor.

PATRICK PARENTEAU, VERMONT LAW SCHOOL: You're welcome Natalie.

ALLEN: Well, let's talk about what has happened in Paris. They're calling this a historic breakthrough. Yeah, all these countries finally get come together and have an agreement on COP meeting. What's your reaction?

PARENTEAU: I think it is a fair to say that has historic. It's also a little sobering. I do think that we have to recognize the accomplishment of almost of 190 countries coming together and agreeing on a pathway forward.

[00:05:05] We have to give the France government and the administrators of the conference a lot credit for overcoming the obstacle and reaching compromise.

The sobering part, however, is the gulf that exists between where this agreement leaves us today, and where we have to get very quickly in order to stabilized the climate and then avoid some of the most catastrophic consequences that the climate scientists are telling us where in great danger of.

ALLEN: Right. And I've seen others concur with you on that talking about the big polluters, United States, China, the others need more of an urgent a wake call in what perhaps this agreement I'll be historic and a breakthrough will actually produced.

PARENTEAU: That's correct. There is a signal to the world and to the market place from this agreement. But the signal is too soft, I think for the challenge that we face. This is a more a political agreement than a legal document frankly.

It's important certainly for the nations to commit, to what they've committed to and to commit to as they put it ratcheting up the pledges that have been made. But the timeframe is very short. The amount of carbon that we're putting into the atmosphere every year on the order of 36 billion tons is still going into the atmosphere. It will be there for centuries.

The science is telling us that the climate systems of the earth are actually more sensitive than we thought. The rate of the melting of the ice sheets, the warming of the oceans, the acidification of the oceans, the sea level rise. Virtually every measurement tells us that things bad and getting worse very quickly.

ALLEN: Well, outside of this agreement then. If it does put climate change more on the map for the world. What would you hope as far as technology and advancement for cleaner energy? What would you hope that we could see in the next let say 5to 10 years?

PARENTEAU: We need a trillion dollars a year redeployed from fossil fuels including the massive subsidies that those industries are getting into the clean energy sources that are scaling very rapidly, wind and solar cost are coming down dramatically. They're being deployed all the across the globe. It's the fastest growing sector of the energy economy.

But it's not fast enough to keep pace with the continued emphasis on finding new sources of oil and gas in ever deeper parts of the ocean and tight shell formation in North America and all around the world. The science is very that we're close to exhausting the carbon budget that would have any chance of holding temperatures under the goal of 2 degree celsius, much less achieving the more rigorous goal of 1.5 degree celsius with is needed to protect the Island nation of the world.

So, a very concerted public, private effort and it's money. Its all about not just billions, but trillions that have to be redeployed.

ALLEN: A sobering assessment. We appreciate your expertise, Environmental Law Expert Patrick Parenteau from Vermont Law School. Thanks you.

PARENTEAU: You're very welcome Natalie.

ALLEN: To find more about the climate agreement to end the significant of those 2 degree that he just pointed out, that very sobering assessment. You can go to a CNN.com/climate.

Police in Switzerland arrested and charged two people on suspicion of terrorism. Geneva remains on high alert. Authorities say the pair carried Syrian passports and had traces of explosive in their car.

Here CNN Nic Robertson with the latest.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And so what we have right now. The authorities here saying that the two men that they've pick up arrested but had what appeared to be authentic Syrian passport.

However, there's a lot of question and authorities here really not answering. They won't give details about the vehicle that the men were driving. They won't say if these men had a Schengen Visa. Schengen Visa's in their passports. This is the Visa you would require if you wanted to travel freely around inside Europe. So that's an important detail.

They do say that these two men with the Syrian passports don't speech French would be significant here in the Geneva area because people obviously speech French here. The federal authorities are saying that they are investigating the two men for possible ties to a terrorist organization, but they're not saying which terrorist organization it might be.

And on the issue of those traces of explosives found in the vehicle. That's how the prosecutor here in Geneva is describing it, traces of explosives.

However, European security sources has told CNN that perhaps from his understand this is not a sort of explosive or themselves rather the precursor chemicals, traces of precursor chemicals.

[00:10:12] Meaning the sort of ingredients that you would use to make a homemade bomb. So at the moment a lot of details are still are being investigated. This is a city on a high state alert. Authorities say, do expect more home searches, do expect more arrest. But don't read too much into those arrest, they're saying the prosecuting there in Geneva saying that not all of the people who maybe arrested aren't necessarily terrorist, that's how they cautioning it here at the moment.

Nick Robertson CNN, Geneva, Switzerland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: At least 87 people are dead after clashes between the military and rebels in Burundi. It is the deadliest violence since a fail co attempt in May, after the countries president announce he would run for a controversial third term in office.

Over 200,000 people have fled to neighboring countries since then. Although this conflict is a largely political fight, there are fears it could reignite ethnic tension between Hutu's and Tutsi's.

The FBI may have uncovered new clues in California surrounding one of the deadliest terror attacks in the U.S. Divers discovered several items in this San Bernardino Lake. It just a few kilometers form the Inland Regional Center where 14 people were killed, 22 others are wounded a massacre last week.

Authority says the killers Sayed Rizwam Farook and Tashfeen Malik where in the vicinity of the lake at some point before or after the attack. It's believe one of the items divers are looking for is a missing a hard drive from the couples computer.

Women in Saudi Arabia are voting for the first time in the male dominated kingdom. What is the real significants? We will look into that story ahead here.

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ALLEN: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. It maybe hard to believe because this is 2015, but women in Saudi Arabia until today were not allowed to vote. Well, they voted for the first time in conservative male dominated kingdom. They also are being allowed to run for public office for the first time, but it's been tough to campaign because female candidates are not allowed to speak to male voters.

CNN Becky Anderson has more on the struggle between tradition and progress.

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I have spent years covering the Middle East and the gulf region. And the issue of women's right in Saudi Arabia often comes up.

The kingdom is an absolute Monique ruled Al Saud family. Now they govern according to a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam. Women need the commission of a male guardian to travel work, to attend a higher education or to marry. [00:15:02] But Saudi Arabia does have a very young population middle age there just 26. Many of I've spoken to says role of women in the country is evolving.

Now, 2015 mark the first year that Saudi women would allow campaign he public office and to register to vote at the municipal level.

And that came two years after the former King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz that women must makeup at least 20 percent of Shura Council. Now that is an appointed body that drops by north advises the kind on many of the issues.

More Saudi Women are also joining the workforce. Only about a 19 percent of them currently performed paid work. But the Saudi government says, their numbers have recent considerably from 23,000 in 2004 to over 400,000 in 2014.

Now women are still required to cover their hair and wear long clothing in public. But in many malls and hotels these days, women are seeing without headscarf. And perhaps the most visible sign of women rights in Saudi are not the case maybe is that they are not allowed to drive.

All the women I've meet there tell me they're often frustrated by the way votism (ph) they thought. They may feel ignored this other positive step, they have been made. But proponents pertain they allowing women to drive would be a big step towards opening other doors of opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: And that's reported many women are defining the no driving law in Saudi Arabia. Only prominent Saudi millionaire is sparking a new war of words with Donald Trump over this highly controversial plan to ban Muslim from entering the U.S.

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal who's one of Trumps former business partner Twitted this, "You are a disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America, withdraw from the U.S. presidential race as you will never win."

Well, as you know, Donald Trump liked to fire back and he did. He wrote, "Dopey Prince wants to control our U.S. politicians with daddy's money. Can't do it when I get elected."

The new Republican presidential hopeful recent comments about Muslims have created a business backlash in the Middle East. To make better worst for Trump, his now falling sharply behind rival Ted Cruz in the key state of Iowa, a new poll has him trailing by 10 points and as the primary draw near political insiders are wondering if next summer convention could be brokered.

It's rare, what happens if no candidate wins a majority of delegates during the state primarily they would have to move (ph) members during the convention, to land the nomination at the old fashion way. That possibility has Trump suggesting he might run as an independent. Here's what he told CNN Jake Tapper.

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JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: What do you think about the idea of the broker convention when Dr. Ben Carson heard about he got very upset, he said it sounded like people were trying, people in powering the Republican establishment. We're trying to subvert the will of the voters.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, you know, I watched what Ben said I agree with him 100 percent. I even wrote him a little note, I thought it was excellent, and frankly he may be right. I haven't seen it yet. I've been hearing about it -- I've been hearing about the closed-door meetings, and I don't like that. That wasn't the deal I made. I signed a pledge, but the pledge was a double deal. There were supposed to be honorable. So we're going to find out, if it's that way, they're going to have problems. But I hope it's not going to be that way. I hope it's not going to be that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: We turn to sport next. Fans are already revving up for the battle of Britain in the Euro 2016 Football tournament. We'll go over the matched up. Coming next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Derek Van Dam joins us now because parts of the Philippines are on alert as tropical storm is bearing down.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's been an extremely active tropical season for the Philippines and we're ended the year with yet another typhoon. Typhoon Melor, which is locally known in the Philippines as "Nona". It is barely in toward the Island of Luzon which of course is the most populated part of the Philippines over hundred million people located across that part of the world.

Let's take a look at my latest satellite, the opening (inaudible) you can start to see the latest information 140 kilometer per hour wind, but there is an eye wall now starting to formed, that's the good indicator to the meteorologist here at the CNN world weather center that this storm is strengthening and the forecast and projected path shows just that. In fact you can see 24 hours for now we expected to be roughly 185 kilometers per hour.

It will impact Southern Luzon by Monday into Tuesday. But notice the trajectory as it slow down over this mountainous part of the Philippines. That means it slows down and it could bring torrential rain fall to this area. At the time at locally for you if you're tuning in from the Philippines thank you for viewership first and foremost. But there it is Monday afternoon and evening into Tuesday its start to reach the eastern suburbs of Manila, Tuesday into Wednesday.

Look at these rainfall totals over the next seven days I should say. This is going to produce a significant amount of rain this part of the world means we could get landslides and flooding.

Now another part of the world that is experiencing heavy rain and strong storm is the U.S. state of Texas. We've got a line of very strong thunderstorms that is just east of Dallas. We've already had two tornados today. One, just north of the Houston area, that was in the Willis Country. We'll going to talk about in just a second but the severe weather threat still continues overnight from Austin into Dallas, and perhaps the Houston region. We have had already reports of some damage.

I'll show some of the video. Now, you can see the frontal cloud that was reported in the Willis area. This again is just north of Houston. The resort Natalie of this tornado was this. Take a look at the damage impact trailer park home in this district, haven't head of any fatalities or injuries out of this. But still scary moments for those people there.

ALLEN: Yeah. And the storm is continuing to move across the southeast.

VAN DAM: That's correct.

ALLEN: All right, Derek thanks.

While the groups are decided for the Euro 2016 Football tournaments later to begin in June in France and there's at least one match up already getting a lot of attention.

CNN Patrick Snell tells us why.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPODENT: For the first time ever 24 countries will compete on next year European football championship in France. Now Saturday's high profiled draw in Paris throwing in a potentially tricky group, but two time defending champ in Spain who will play Turkey, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

But in group B British interest is well and truly pick with Gareth Bale and his Wales team meeting England. Wales is playing in the tournament for the first time ever. While the first actually (ph) for tournament, we'll feature the host playing Romania at the start of the France on the June 10th. Didier Deschamps' (ph) are also group with Albania and Switzerland too.

[00:25:14] UNIDENTIFIED MALE, (Through Translation): From these three adversaries we know two very well because the last two years we played against him and they give us big problems as we weren't able to beat them. The Swish we have observed because we had them in our group for the World Cup, so we know them well.

We know the Romanians less well, but we've watch their qualification with five victories and five draws, the best defensive all the teams that qualified that only took two goals. But at the end of the day that says everything and nothing.

SNELL: Conspicuous by his answers meantime was Uefa President Michel Platini who is currently serving a FIFA ethics committee suspension.

The draw playing out thought I mean tight security in the aftermath of the recent terror attacks on Paris say, heavy police presence outside the Place de la Concorde a head of proceeding with the Euro 16 organizers with this message for the French public.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to take this opportunity in the name of Uefa to express my solidarity towards all French people during these difficult times. Our thoughts are with all those affected by the attacks of the 13th of November.

SNELL: The tournament last for a total of four weeks for the final all takes place at the state at the France on July the 10th.

Patrick Snell, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: And that is CNN Newsroom. I'm Natalie Allen. I'll be right back with our top stories.

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