France - Obama Presidency Oral History Back France Index / Locations Transcripts (216) Bill McKibben ...has passed. This was in the lead-up to Paris [United Nations Climate Chang... ...everyone was supposed to go off to Paris . By this point, there were a vas... ...used it as one of the springboards to Paris , which was, in some ways, much mor... ...environmental movement, beginning after Paris . In December of 2015, in discussin... ...So the things that happened after Paris were exactly what I would have hope... Bob Kocher ...a bunch of time in India and Singapore, France , Brazil, Canada, Taiwan, Sout... ...all of these amazing things. In France , you see home-based, house-cal... Carol Browner ...but it's really the setup; then to Paris [United Nations Climate Chang... ...about it, which is then memorialized in Paris [Agreement]. You said about Copenhage... ...could think about climate change. Then Paris is the culmination of that. Th... ...but it's really the setup; then to Paris [United Nations Climate Chang... ...about it, which is then memorialized in Paris [Agreement]. You said about Copenhage... ...could think about climate change. Then Paris is the culmination of that. Th... Show more... Frances Beinecke ...it did lay the groundwork for what Paris [Agreement] would become, which wa... ...very weird, and you contrast that with Paris , where Paris held the conference righ... ...and you contrast that with Paris, where Paris held the conference right after thei... ...in the six years between Copenhagen and Paris . I absolutely do. As I said, I thin... ...there was an urgency of action. In Paris there wasn't a, Should we do this. I... ...Copenhagen those voices were away. In Paris those voices framed the outcome... ...the outcome, because, if you recall, in Paris the decision was to reach an agreemen... ...these issues forward and prepare for Paris . And work with the Chinese to get ... ...to get a commitment leading up to Paris , which they were able to do in th... Show more... Gina McCarthy ...domestic action in order to get to Paris , with a strong position to have a rea... ...players, that finally needed to get to Paris with an agreement that we could al... Heather Zichal ...and ultimately the real prize was in Paris . But I take a few things away fro... ...been given credit for in anticipating Paris , can you talk a little bit more abou... ...mind is connected to what's to come in Paris ? So much of working in a White Hous... ...gas emissions. But I was like, We have Paris to think about, we have this regulator... ...out what can our contribution to the Paris COP be, and how do we communicate thi... ...what does this mean as we think about Paris . And it was just about bein... ...this would be helpful ultimately for Paris . And then, the idea of creating ... ...ladder up. And it wasn't just about Paris and the COP. A lot of what we were abl... ...and ultimately the real prize was in Paris . But I take a few things away fro... ...been given credit for in anticipating Paris , can you talk a little bit more abou... ...mind is connected to what's to come in Paris ? So much of working in a White Hous... ...gas emissions. But I was like, We have Paris to think about, we have this regulator... ...out what can our contribution to the Paris COP be, and how do we communicate thi... ...what does this mean as we think about Paris . And it was just about bein... ...this would be helpful ultimately for Paris . And then, the idea of creating ... ...ladder up. And it wasn't just about Paris and the COP. A lot of what we were abl... Show more... Max Baucus ...couple times. I remember I was over in France once. I got sick and went to see ... Nancy Sutley ...because that didn't get decided until Paris , but it was a commitment to procee... ...over time, as the administration got to Paris , for example? Personally, I though... ...that process going so we could get to Paris . And it all worked out much— [unclear... ...than the four years of being out of Paris , but it worked. I think it worked ou... ...to be ultimately agreed to in Paris . It took a lot longer than people ha... ...evolved since then, obviously between Paris and the IPCC [Intergovernmental Pane... ...in Copenhagen, to get to the 2015 Paris meeting of the UNFCCC. So it was tim... ...as part of what was necessary to get to Paris ? Yes, absolutely. Timing wise, i... ...because that didn't get decided until Paris , but it was a commitment to procee... ...over time, as the administration got to Paris , for example? Personally, I though... ...that process going so we could get to Paris . And it all worked out much— [unclear... ...than the four years of being out of Paris , but it worked. I think it worked ou... ...to be ultimately agreed to in Paris . It took a lot longer than people ha... ...evolved since then, obviously between Paris and the IPCC [Intergovernmental Pane... ...in Copenhagen, to get to the 2015 Paris meeting of the UNFCCC. So it was tim... ...as part of what was necessary to get to Paris ? Yes, absolutely. Timing wise, i... Show more... Steven Chu ...not going to have a rerun of this in Paris [France]. Those two said—I mean, ther... ...and then really leading towards the Paris [Agreement, international treaty o... ...happened from there to the lead-up to Paris [France]—the most remarkable thing was... ...thing. The really crucial thing about Paris was, the developing countries said... ...also to adapt to the changes. But by Paris time, there was more of a recognition... ...made the mess. Fix it.” The hope at Paris , and after Paris—and everybody kne... ...Fix it.” The hope at Paris, and after Paris —and everybody knew that there was ... ...to have a rerun of this in Paris [ France ]. Those two said—I mean, there ar... ...not going to have a rerun of this in Paris [France]. Those two said—I mean, ther... ...and then really leading towards the Paris [Agreement, international treaty o... ...happened from there to the lead-up to Paris [France]—the most remarkable thing was... ...thing. The really crucial thing about Paris was, the developing countries said... ...also to adapt to the changes. But by Paris time, there was more of a recognition... ...made the mess. Fix it.” The hope at Paris , and after Paris—and everybody kne... ...Fix it.” The hope at Paris, and after Paris —and everybody knew that there was ... Show more... Todd Stern ...only counted as one. So instead of UK, France , Germany, Italy, like that—so th... ...people, you had President Sarkozy from France and Gordon Brown from England and Kevi... ...talk, which was an idea that came from France , to have countries put forward wha... ...countries or so. And because it was France , countries are alphabetical. But it'... ...China. It's not what we agreed to with France . And we can't live with it, because i... ...say, a very important milestone before Paris . I just wanted to get a sense for wha... ...when Obama and Xi [Jinping] sit down in Paris on the first day of Paris for thei... ...sit down in Paris on the first day of Paris for their bilateral, and Xi basicall... ...onto a path that ultimately led to Paris , in my view, which I know not too man... ...continued all the way deep into the Paris negotiations, that it's got to b... ...about the years between Copenhagen and Paris . I get now that the expectations goin... ...that didn't really bear fruit until Paris , I would submit that the seeds wer... ...those years in between Copenhagen and Paris , and the way that that paradigm shif... ...out all the way until the last day in Paris . Then, after Paris, there wa... ...the last day in Paris. Then, after Paris , there was essentially a three-yea... ...that, like, Oh, so it was all great for Paris . Well, yes, Paris was successful, an... ...it was all great for Paris. Well, yes, Paris was successful, and I think it wa... ...pretty bifurcated all the way through Paris , really, but they came to understand... ...side along. That certainly happened in Paris , but it happened the year befor... ...Paris, but it happened the year before Paris . Of course, the year before Paris wa... ...Paris. Of course, the year before Paris was the COP that was right after th... ...a huge, seminal moment on the road to Paris in and of itself. I just want to mak... ...How did that affect the dynamics before Paris ? Again, it didn't necessarily chang... ...change behavior so much before Paris . What the Durban Platform said i... ...in essence is: that agreement you do in Paris —it's got to have thes... ...some level. By the way, when we get to Paris , there's a funny little story tha... ...the COP made progress on the road to Paris ; it was fine. We can talk a lot mor... ...leaders to announce their targets for Paris when they get together in November,... ...dramatically. They would need to get Paris done if it was lifted up to the leve... ...president announcing their goals for Paris , then they damn well needed to ge... ...then they damn well needed to get Paris done, and that that would be a reall... ...became the language that—it's part of Paris . It was an improvement for us. W... ...it, like, “Wow, China and the US! Paris can actually get done.” It was a big... ...in the seven years leading up to Paris . He also worked in that capacity o... ...as early as possible before Paris . That was for a quite particula... ...to be slipping this under the door in Paris at the eleventh hour. They had to pu... ...this up now, we might be blowing up Paris at the same time. And if we get Pari... ...Paris at the same time. And if we get Paris done, this is what we will hav... ...in the sense of we were going to get Paris done. We had to get Paris don... ...going to get Paris done. We had to get Paris done together. That's what our tw... ...this as it's setting the stage for Paris in December of 2015, I want to know... ...view, for getting a good agreement in Paris . So our diplomacy was focused on thos... ...this done, China would own success in Paris in a way that China never had owne... ...the day, the hour, the minute after the Paris gavel goes down, “Hey, this doesn't ge... ...about who the key players were ahead of Paris , and I specifically want to ask abou... ...We don't have to do everything in Paris ; maybe someday we'll change that, bu... ...didn't change, all the way deep into Paris . As much as we talked to them all... ...as many of the important elements for Paris as we can. Agree that the US and Chin... ...And the more we can get done vis-à-vis Paris , the better it's going to be i... ...Paris, the better it's going to be in Paris . So we basically met every month fo... ...Chinese did not really want to look at Paris as having effect after 2030. And I wa... ...random in one sense. In July I was in Paris for the informal ministerial meetin... ...in February, I went to both London and Paris . The French obviously had the lead, s... ...it all year, and we talked about it in Paris , and it didn't happen. It came ou... ...how you get there. To bring it to Paris and maybe ask for a layperson readin... ...I'd love to understand, then: Going to Paris at the end of 2015, what were yo... ...contingent in those days and weeks in Paris itself. I guess I would've said ... ...I basically always thought, that even Paris —we had to be prepared to walk away... ...going to not believe it, it would be Paris , because it was such a big deal. But ... ...to get a minimalist agreement. During Paris , Xie at one point was arguing that th... ...be out from under the klieg lights of Paris with the whole world watching back int... ...that two or three weeks leading up to Paris . You should look at, if you haven't... ...how he saw it. All right, so we get to Paris [laughs]. A lot of basically positiv... ...involved in at my level. Then we get to Paris basically thinking we're okay, bu... ...that I think the UK helped sponsor in Paris at a restaurant called Chez Géraud o... ...the Paris Agreement or the accompanying Paris decision. There's actually two piece... ...was a phenomenal all-night thing at a Paris club that the NGOs put on. My team an... ...They said, “We're going downtown to Paris . [Laughs] We're going to—” I thin... ...emissions. By the time we were at Paris , probably close to sixty percent an... ...there, John Kerry even more related to Paris because he was there for Paris, an... ...to Paris because he was there for Paris , and then our team. I do think tha... ...say, a very important milestone before Paris . I just wanted to get a sense for wha... ...when Obama and Xi [Jinping] sit down in Paris on the first day of Paris for thei... ...sit down in Paris on the first day of Paris for their bilateral, and Xi basicall... ...onto a path that ultimately led to Paris , in my view, which I know not too man... ...continued all the way deep into the Paris negotiations, that it's got to b... ...about the years between Copenhagen and Paris . I get now that the expectations goin... ...that didn't really bear fruit until Paris , I would submit that the seeds wer... ...those years in between Copenhagen and Paris , and the way that that paradigm shif... ...out all the way until the last day in Paris . Then, after Paris, there wa... ...the last day in Paris. Then, after Paris , there was essentially a three-yea... ...that, like, Oh, so it was all great for Paris . Well, yes, Paris was successful, an... ...it was all great for Paris. Well, yes, Paris was successful, and I think it wa... ...pretty bifurcated all the way through Paris , really, but they came to understand... ...side along. That certainly happened in Paris , but it happened the year befor... ...Paris, but it happened the year before Paris . Of course, the year before Paris wa... ...Paris. Of course, the year before Paris was the COP that was right after th... ...a huge, seminal moment on the road to Paris in and of itself. I just want to mak... ...How did that affect the dynamics before Paris ? Again, it didn't necessarily chang... ...change behavior so much before Paris . What the Durban Platform said i... ...in essence is: that agreement you do in Paris —it's got to have thes... ...some level. By the way, when we get to Paris , there's a funny little story tha... ...the COP made progress on the road to Paris ; it was fine. We can talk a lot mor... ...leaders to announce their targets for Paris when they get together in November,... ...dramatically. They would need to get Paris done if it was lifted up to the leve... ...president announcing their goals for Paris , then they damn well needed to ge... ...then they damn well needed to get Paris done, and that that would be a reall... ...became the language that—it's part of Paris . It was an improvement for us. W... ...it, like, “Wow, China and the US! Paris can actually get done.” It was a big... ...in the seven years leading up to Paris . He also worked in that capacity o... ...as early as possible before Paris . That was for a quite particula... ...to be slipping this under the door in Paris at the eleventh hour. They had to pu... ...this up now, we might be blowing up Paris at the same time. And if we get Pari... ...Paris at the same time. And if we get Paris done, this is what we will hav... ...in the sense of we were going to get Paris done. We had to get Paris don... ...going to get Paris done. We had to get Paris done together. That's what our tw... ...this as it's setting the stage for Paris in December of 2015, I want to know... ...view, for getting a good agreement in Paris . So our diplomacy was focused on thos... ...this done, China would own success in Paris in a way that China never had owne... ...the day, the hour, the minute after the Paris gavel goes down, “Hey, this doesn't ge... ...about who the key players were ahead of Paris , and I specifically want to ask abou... ...We don't have to do everything in Paris ; maybe someday we'll change that, bu... ...didn't change, all the way deep into Paris . As much as we talked to them all... ...as many of the important elements for Paris as we can. Agree that the US and Chin... ...And the more we can get done vis-à-vis Paris , the better it's going to be i... ...Paris, the better it's going to be in Paris . So we basically met every month fo... ...Chinese did not really want to look at Paris as having effect after 2030. And I wa... ...random in one sense. In July I was in Paris for the informal ministerial meetin... ...in February, I went to both London and Paris . The French obviously had the lead, s... ...it all year, and we talked about it in Paris , and it didn't happen. It came ou... ...how you get there. To bring it to Paris and maybe ask for a layperson readin... ...I'd love to understand, then: Going to Paris at the end of 2015, what were yo... ...contingent in those days and weeks in Paris itself. I guess I would've said ... ...I basically always thought, that even Paris —we had to be prepared to walk away... ...going to not believe it, it would be Paris , because it was such a big deal. But ... ...to get a minimalist agreement. During Paris , Xie at one point was arguing that th... ...be out from under the klieg lights of Paris with the whole world watching back int... ...that two or three weeks leading up to Paris . You should look at, if you haven't... ...how he saw it. All right, so we get to Paris [laughs]. A lot of basically positiv... ...involved in at my level. Then we get to Paris basically thinking we're okay, bu... ...that I think the UK helped sponsor in Paris at a restaurant called Chez Géraud o... ...the Paris Agreement or the accompanying Paris decision. There's actually two piece... ...was a phenomenal all-night thing at a Paris club that the NGOs put on. My team an... ...They said, “We're going downtown to Paris . [Laughs] We're going to—” I thin... ...emissions. By the time we were at Paris , probably close to sixty percent an... ...there, John Kerry even more related to Paris because he was there for Paris, an... ...to Paris because he was there for Paris , and then our team. I do think tha... ...only counted as one. So instead of UK, France , Germany, Italy, like that—so th... ...people, you had President Sarkozy from France and Gordon Brown from England and Kevi... ...talk, which was an idea that came from France , to have countries put forward wha... ...countries or so. And because it was France , countries are alphabetical. But it'... ...China. It's not what we agreed to with France . And we can't live with it, because i... Show more... Load more Transcripts Related Topics go to the Climate, Environment, and Energy Climate, Environment, and Energy go to the Healthcare Healthcare Atlantic Relations Coming soon Latin America Coming soon Labor Coming soon