At the invitation of the President of the French Republic, Mr François Hollande, President Michael D. Higgins addressed the ‘Summit of Consciences for the Climate’, taking place in Paris in July 2015.
President Higgins was one of four keynote speakers opening the conference. The other speakers were President Hollande, former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, and Prince Albert of Monaco.
The focus of this summit, which took place ahead of France hosting the historic United Nations Climate Change conference, was the involvement of citizens in efforts to combat climate change.
The President's speech, which is available here, was his first major address on the subject of climate change. In his address, the President called for a a holistic approach to climate change, arguing that the great challenges of our time cannot be dealt with in piecemeal fashion.