The World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) kicks off today in in Paris, France, amid intense security. Major roads into the French capital remain closed and about 2,800 police and soldiers are guarding the hermetically sealed conference venue near Le Bourget airport, north of Paris. Another 6,300 officers are deployed in the city, following the coordinated attack by suicide bombers on restaurants, a concert hall and the national football stadium in which 130 people died.
More than 40,000 people are expected to attend the two-week conference, including scientists, exhibitors and journalists. Up to 150 world leaders will attend the event including Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said: “The security precautions are very important and companies are being asked to adjust working hours and use of vehicles in consequence.”
