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Russia Installing Missile System at Syrian Airbase; Turkish and Russian Tensions Increase; Pope in Midst of Six-Day Visit to Africa; France to Remember Paris Attack Victims; Cheyenne in Montana Weigh Coal against Climate; 2015 To Be Hottest Year on Record; Pencils of Promise. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 27, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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

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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The Turkish and Russian presidents speak out about the incident that sparked a diplomatic clash.

Two weeks after the terror attacks, France honors the victims while vowing to punish ISIS.

And we'll tell you who Pope Francis is reaching out to on his final day in Kenya.

Plus, there has been yet another incident of a man jumping over the White House fence.

I'm Natalie Allen. These stories are all ahead. Thank you for joining us. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

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ALLEN: And we begin with the fight against ISIS and the global pressure to defeat the terror group. On Thursday the presidents of France and Russia agreed to exchange more intelligence and information. Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to cooperate with the U.S.-led coalition that is battling ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

But the two countries do not agree on what should be done about Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Meantime Mr. Putin says he was shocked when Turkey shot down one of its warplanes that was going after ISIS targets. In response to the growing diplomatic and military tensions, Russia is installing a missile system at its Syrian air base.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): It did not even come into our minds that we could have been struck by a party that we consider to be our ally.

We consider Turkey to be a friendly country. We did not expect such an action and that is why that strike was unexpected. And now we realize it is possible because a soldier has died that we need to have security for our air force.

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ALLEN: And about that security, let's go to CNN senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance. He's live for us in Moscow.

Matthew, tell us more about this missile system that Russia plans to install there in Syria.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. In fact, it's already arrived. It's just been a couple of days since Vladimir Putin ordered that the air defenses inside Syria that should be bolstered that that action taken and after the shootdown of that Russian plane by the Turkish air force on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Already the weapons systems have arrived; they're called S-400s. And they bring an unprecedented level of firepower to the Syrian war.

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CHANCE (voice-over): Suddenly, Russia's warplanes in Syria look much less vulnerable. This, the first battery of highly sophisticated S- 400 missiles already being deployed to the combat zone.

These weapons could give Russia significant control of the skies and are just part of Moscow's hardline response to the shootdown by Turkey of one of its planes.

There's been a hardline response to this, too, images of rebels shooting the Russian air crew after they ejected over Syria, killing the pilot, drawing the Kremlin's fury.

Defense officials say an intensive air bombardment coupled with Syrian artillery has now killed all the terrorists operating in the area. ISIS and other rebel groups, say the Russians, were targeted.

In Moscow, the French president Francois Hollande continued his efforts to forge an international front against ISIS. He and Vladimir Putin agreed to share intelligence and coordinate airstrikes but the loss of the Russian plane at the hands of Turkey has complicated a deal, leaving the Kremlin feeling angry and betrayed.

PUTIN (through translator): It did not even enter our minds that we could have been struck by a party that we considered to be our ally.

CHANCE (voice-over): And amid signs that Russia is now preparing economic sanctions against Turkey for this, progress towards a grand anti-ISIS coalition may have been dealt a serious blow.

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CHANCE: Well, already the Russian prime minister Dmitri Medvedev has asked his ministers to go away and come back with ideas, with projects, joint Russian-Turkish projects, that could potentially face economic sanctions.

There are lots of economic levers, Natalie, that the Russians can pull to punish Turkey for this. Tourism, for instance, is a key one; 3.2 million Russians visited Turkey last year as tourists. Lots of bigger deals in the energy sector and other infrastructure projects as well as food imports.

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CHANCE: And so, the Turks, I expect, now are bracing for the economic sanctions that are being prepared here in Moscow against them.

ALLEN: All right. A complicated issue made more so. Matthew Chance for us live in Moscow, thank you.

We want to continue to follow the pope's visit to Africa, Pope Francis is in Kenya right now, in Nairobi. And CNN's Robyn Kriel is following the pope on his trip and she has got the very latest for us in the stadium where he's arriving.

Hello, Robyn.

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Natalie. This crowd is electrifying. We anticipate it's going to be just moments until Pope Francis, everyone here is calling him Papa, they're saying Papa, welcome, Papa, welcome, karibu. That means welcome in Swahili.

The pope is likely going to make a short trip around this field at the Kasarani Stadium, which is an athletics field that many world athletes and Olympic athletes from Kenya have run around and, indeed, trained on. So somewhat special in that regard, too.

This crowd has been waiting since about 5:00 am this morning, Natalie. It's nearly 10:00 am in the morning local time. People are extremely excited. The pope has just wrapped up a visit to the Kangemi slum, where he met with a number of people there who told him about the situation inside Kenya's slums.

The pope was really using this trip to Kenya to focus on the youth. That is what today's event here at the Kasarani Stadium is about. It's all about the youth. We'll be hearing from the pope himself on the youth. He's very passionate about young people.

We'll also be hearing from young people, talking about the issues that plague young people, not just here in Kenya but around the world, issues like unemployment, issues like drugs.

For example, here in Kenya, issues of terrorism. We know that the recent attacks -- the attack on the recent university in Kenya's northeast, where 148 students were gunned down by Al Qaeda-linked Al- Shabaab gunmen back in April, that that is one of the main reasons the pope decided to make this trip to Kenya.

He wanted to speak about religious cohesion, particularly among the young people as well as the focus on poverty and for young people to understand the social issues and why to raise a country like Kenya out of poverty.

ALLEN: All right. We know this is the first of the few days in Africa. He heads to Uganda next. We'll talk more about that as we push on here. Robyn Kriel, waiting there for Pope Francis' arrival.

Thank you, Robyn. We will stay in touch with you.

Let's go back now to our other top story. We're following the fallout over the downed Russian plane. Turkey insists Russia was in the wrong on Tuesday and it will not apologize for downing the aircraft. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with our Becky Anderson and said his country's pilots fulfilled their duties.

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, has called this "planned provocation."

And Putin has accused you of deliberately driving relations between your two countries to a standstill.

Your response?

ERDOGAN (through translator): There is no deliberate effort from our side to bring the relationship to a standstill. I think these are emotional attitudes to the issue. I don't think it's the right thing to say. We have never had this kind of an intention to bring the relationship to this kind of a point.

ANDERSON: They do keep coming. Putin has accused you of effectively stabbing him in the back, I think is the line he used, and as being -- Turkey as being an accomplice of terror.

This is pretty fiery stuff, isn't it?

ERDOGAN (through translator): Well, the expression, "accomplices of terror," I don't know if he used it or not.

If Mr. Putin is saying that we are cooperating with daish, that we are accomplices, I think that will be a huge mistake because we are doing the exact opposite.

And Russia is not engaged in a fight against daish in Syria. On the contrary, they are actually targeting moderate opposition.

Turkey is a country that fights against terrorism. So calling Turkey an accomplice of terrorists would be the worst thing to do.

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ALLEN: CNN correspondent Ian Lee is in Istanbul right now with more on the increased tensions between Russia and Turkey. He joins us now live.

[00:02:10] ALLEN: We just heard the prime minister talking with our Becky Anderson there. Interesting that he is looking for an apology for Russia. The Turkish government, though, has been sending signals, Ian, it wants to tamp down the tension.

The question is can it at this point?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Natalie. And that is the big question. President Erdogan wants to make this a very isolated incident. They don't want this to extend to other sectors of the cooperation between Turkey and Russia.

But it's interesting to note that, you know, you are seeing kind of two tones here with President Erdogan. On one side he's saying that Russia should apologize for breaching their airspace but, on the other side, he's saying we didn't know it was a Russian plane and maybe that could mean that they would have reacted differently. He said that they could have responded and talked to the pilot in a different way.

What that means, really, is that Turkey doesn't want this to be a bigger issue. They want to de-escalate. And rightfully so. They have close economic ties with Russia and they don't want this to extend to something else.

ALLEN: All right. Ian Lee for us there live in Istanbul, Ian, thank you.

Two men are under arrest in Berlin, suspected of planning what police called a significant attack.

German media report one man is from Syria; the other, Tunisia. Police say they found a suspected dangerous object in the man's vehicle, prompting an evacuation of nearby homes. Earlier Thursday, police searched an Islamic cultural center in another Berlin neighborhood.

ISIS is claiming responsibility for an attack on a Shia mosque in Northern Bangladesh Thursday. Police say there were about 20 people attending evening prayers when gunmen stormed the mosque. At least one person was killed and three wounded.

Despite the ISIS claims, Bangladeshi police tell Reuters News Service the mosque was attacked by homegrown militants. The country has seen a rise in Islamist violence in recent months with seven deaths this year.

There is an emotional day ahead for France, yet another, as the country prepares to honor the victims of the Paris attacks. We'll go live to the French capital in just a few moments.

Also ahead, again, Pope Francis has been meeting with impoverished people and followers in Nairobi, Kenya. Coming up, a look at who he meets next and what's on his mind as he travels through Africa.

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ALLEN (voice-over): That right there, dancing in the front, is the president of Kenya, along with other leaders and some clergy as well from the Catholic Church, getting fired up and getting the crowd ready for a visit from the pope. This is live from Nairobi, where huge crowds are waiting for Pope Francis to arrive there at Kasarani Stadium. We've heard them chanting and cheering, they're dancing in anticipation of the pope's arrival, where he will target his talk to the crowd to the youth gathered there.

The pope just wrapped up a visit to Kangemi slum, where he spoke at a church.

ALLEN: So when the pope arrives, we will bring you that live.

Well, the pope travels to Uganda later in the day and while so many people in Africa are embracing him, Uganda's clergy are not happy with the pope's attempt to reach out to gay Christians. CNN's David McKenzie has more on the challenges for gays living in Uganda.

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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Uganda, God isn't hard to find. In Internet cafes, boutiques and stores and a Tuesday sermon for thousands.

MCKENZIE: Does God love Uganda?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He does. We are not just a part of Africa. We are God's choice.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): It should be fertile ground for the next pastoral visit.

MCKENZIE: What is your message to the pope when it comes to Uganda?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His standing is simply hypocritical. He must take a stand as a leader.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): But some Uganda priests and pastors are angry at Pope Francis' attempts to reach out to gay Christians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You tell the people, this is the truth, this is the way. Homosexuality is dangerous.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Mukasa Jackson (ph) and Makissa Kim (ph) are afraid to move together in daytime. They cannot go back home. Their families have abandoned them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have people screaming outside. "Hey, gays, gays, they are here. Gays are here."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) beaten so badly.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): And they live in fear of being attacked again.

Hauled into court, they faced years in prison for acts of homosexuality and the colonial era laws. They were eventually released for lack of evidence.

MCKENZIE: Is it hurtful that people hate you so much?

JACKSON MUKASA (PH), UGANDAN: It's so hard for us, that people hate us so much because they realize that we're gays.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): A failed 2014 anti-homosexuality bill has done nothing to slow preachers and politicians in Uganda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the law says go to jail, you have to go to jail. It's like any other crime that we have in our nation and in the world.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): But Jackson (ph) and Kim (ph) say they are proud of who they are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why I even have a question to God. I wish I could meet God.

Is it that being gay is a crime to God because that's why all these things are happening?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was there, dancing.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): They say no matter what happens, they will suffer together -- David McKenzie, CNN, Kampala, Uganda.

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ALLEN: And, again, Uganda is the next stop for the pope but, first --

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ALLEN: -- he will be arriving at the stadium here and Robyn Kriel is there to cover the pope's visit and his talk to the youth who are gathered there -- Robyn.

KRIEL: Hey, Natalie, we're still waiting for the pope's arrival. I can tell you it's more like a rock party than the arrival of someone religious. I think that's generally how it's been since the pope arrived.

Kenyans love to dance. There's been a lot of dancing (INAUDIBLE). And there's been a ton of activity here. The bishops even were dancing up and down the field a short while ago. Let me tell you about what the pope is going to address here while he

is here at Kasarani Stadium. This event is supposed to be focused on the youth, something hugely important to Pope Francis.

We're going to be hearing from members of the Kenyan youth. We're going to be hearing them talk about some of the issues that they face, not just here in Kenya but globally, issue such as health care, issues such as education and the fact that so many of them can't afford tertiary education.

We're going to hear about things like drugs; up here in Kenya and in the pope's next stop, Uganda, issues of terrorism. We know that a big reason for the pope's coming here was because he'd heard about the Larissa (ph) University attack where 147 mostly students at Larissa University in Kenya's (INAUDIBLE) were attacked by terrorists group Al-Shabaab gunmen back in April.

And the pope was so affected by that, that he decided to make his way to Kenya. (INAUDIBLE).

Let's take a look at the crowd.

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KRIEL: Natalie, it actually is a really good time here. Everyone is dancing, as I said. The pope just wrapped up at Kangemi slum. That was a very, very important for the trip -- for the pope. He himself spent a lot of time when he was a young priest, a young bishop in the barrios of his native Argentina in Buenos Aires.

So the poverty and lifting people out of poverty has always been tremendously important to him.

So we do understand that he heard from various members of the slum community, including a Catholic nun, Sister Mari, who has been, from 1976, living in Kenya. We are going to have to let you go now. We're waiting, as I said, for Pope Francis. Natalie, back to you.

ALLEN: And, Robyn, I know it's going to get very loud, even more loud when the pope does come inside the stadium and he has arrived to the outside of the stadium. We saw him in a car there. And we'll be waiting for him to enter that stadium as well.

Any idea on the size of the crowd?

We certainly hear their enthusiasm.

KRIEL: Natalie, I have to tell you that what I'm looking at right now -- and I'll just let my cameraman, Savian (ph), pan over.

This is where the pope is due to come -- this is where he's due to drive through in his Popemobile. He did drive here in his very humble Honda, I might add. Everyone has been very impressed that he's driving such a humble car.

We do -- we're not sure of the exact size of the stadium but I would say it's about three-quarters full. So a tremendous number of people, mostly young people and you can imagine the excitement as the pope arrives. Everyone is rushing towards the entrance that he will be coming from.

Security is incredibly tight here as it has been for his entire visit. People very, very worried that the pope could be a target for, perhaps -- for perhaps terrorists Al-Shabaab. But it is nothing but jubilation so far here at the Kasarani Stadium.

ALLEN: Is this Pope Francis's first trip as pope to Africa?

KRIEL: This is Pope Francis' first trip to Africa, Natalie. And I believe it's one that he's been looking forward to for a very, very long time. This is the fourth papal visit to Kenya, however. We've seen Pope John Paul come here before. And he was also greeted with much excitement.

But I think this visit is a little different. Everyone calls Pope Francis the people's pope. He's from the global south. So people here in Africa, on the African continent, really connect with him in that way. They know that he has seen a lot of the things that he's seen. They know he's been confronted with issues of unemployment, issues of corruption in government, issues of poverty and trying to lift people out of poverty.

And we understand that he did have some very tough talk when he was visiting the Kangemi slum. I'll read you what he was said to have said there at the slum. He spoke to Sister Mari Killeen, who is an Irish nun, who has lived in Kenya for more than 40 years and had -- it's also very tough talk. Let me read you what he said about Kenya's --

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KRIEL: -- elite from the Kangemi slum.

He said, "To these signs of good living that increase daily in your midst, in no way entails the disregard for dreadful injustices of social exclusion. These are the wounds inflicted by minorities, who (INAUDIBLE) power and wealth, who selfishly squander while a growing majority is forced to flee, to abandon filthy and run-down peripheries."

All right, Natalie, we're waiting for the pope right here at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi, as you can see. A flurry of excitement behind me. We're trying to make sure the crowd doesn't run over us. Back to you.

ALLEN: They just might because they're quite fired up. It's good to see them having so much fun waiting for the pope.

We'll take a quick break. Hopefully Pope Francis will arrive in a few moments and we'll bring that to you live. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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ALLEN: And welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen. Let's update you on our top stories this hour.

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ALLEN (voice-over): Russian president Vladimir Putin says he was shocked that Turkey shot down one of its warplanes this week. Mr. Putin told reporters on Thursday he considered Turkey an ally. He also said it wasn't possible the Turkish air force didn't recognize that the aircraft was Russia's.

Pope Francis is making young people his focus this hour with a visit to a jammed football stadium in Nairobi, Kenya. He's been visiting a slum and earlier complained how badly and unjustly the poor are treated. He's expected to arrive here at this stadium to address the country's youth in just a few moments.

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And then his next stop will be flying to Uganda.

Police in Berlin have arrested two men suspected of planning "a significant criminal act" against state security. Those are the words of the police. Local media say the men arrested are from Syria and Tunisia. Explosives specialists found what they call "a dangerous object" in the men's vehicle.

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ALLEN: French president Francois Hollande will lead a ceremony in the coming hours to remember the victims of the Paris attack. Mr. Hollande is asking people to put French flags in front of their houses and businesses Friday. He says it is the way for people who can't attend the memorial to pay tribute to the 130 victims who lost their lives.

Max Foster is covering events in Paris for us and he joins us now live.

Two weeks since this happened and that's not a lot of time for very much healing there, Max. Hello.

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) it's interesting to see the nation really rally around the flag on this occasion because I think what was different with this attack, compared to the one earlier in the year against "Charlie Hebdo," which was targeted, this was indiscriminate killing of French people in the heart of their culture, out in bistros and restaurants.

So this did feel like an attack on France. I think that's why the flags are coming out and they're responding to President Hollande's call for them to do that. With me is Christian Malard. Two weeks ago when I was on air in

London, we started hearing that some windows had been shot out in Paris and you came onto the phone straightaway in that first half- hour.

You told me that you saw that there were several instances and that they were connected.

How have things changed in France from that moment until now?

CHRISTIAN MALARD, INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC CONSULTANT: It was a real electroshock for the whole country, and definitely it was an electroshock for the whole French country, all population.

But at the same time, it was a very positive electroshock versus terrorism. Look at where Hollande goes, everywhere, talking to Obama, Putin, talking to the Chinese, trying to get the biggest coalition as possible to fight daish, definitely.

And today, the French are still shocked after what happened. And as you said, this morning, there is this ceremony, one-hour ceremony, not too long, where Hollande would try to keep local (INAUDIBLE) very sober ceremony, 2,000 people. But I have to admit, some of the families want --

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FOSTER: Do they feel that France is protecting them is, what I've been hearing.

MALARD: You put the right question, Max. A lot of French people today reproach the various governments we had, right wing or left wing, to have been very laxist. Laxism is the key word. Because when you talk to the different services, security services, you talk to very permanent people, all of them will tell you we knew about the cells, the Islamist cells.

We knew about the arms, the Kalashnikovs everywhere. But we got the order not to move, to make sure we are not going to be considered as Islamophobe.

And finally, we need to get this terrorist attack, this tragedy, to take the right steps, the drastic steps to really move forward against terrorism.

FOSTER: What that means, though, is giving up freedoms which are so dear to the French. And that's the balance.

MALARD: Yes. But at the same time, it's the price we have to pay. The state of emergency -- and I heard this morning Secretary of Interior Cazeneuve saying that they might extend the state of emergencies --

FOSTER: Beyond three months.

MALARD: -- beyond three months, so which means we need it because if we really want to fight against terrorism, we need to take that because it allows you to do what we could not do before, when you got this signal of these people, ready to act. You could not arrest them.

Now when you have this signal about so-and-so ready to attack, to go to Syria, you can try to prevent --

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FOSTER: -- the police can go straight in without going to a court. And they can search apartments at will and --

MALARD: Exactly.

FOSTER: -- afterwards.

MALARD: Which they were not allowed to do before.

FOSTER: But that's distinctly un-French, isn't it?

You go through the courts and you go through the formal process so it's fair and correct and you don't have police making random decisions.

MALARD: That's the way we have to accept it. We have to accept it.

FOSTER: Do you think the French are accepting that now?

MALARD: I think so. The French could understand this kind of situation and I think they're ready for it because they understand. They are a big target, not the only target, other countries. Look at Belgium. Look at Germany, all of us, we are on the same boat. And we have to fight them and to be together.

This is why Europe has to be united.

But sometimes you're in London, we're in France, you wonder what kind of Europe do we have?

Where do we go? We don't have any common defense, the common economy, we need to build that. It's time. And it's --

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MALARD: -- through terrorism. I think it's an opportunity to move forward.

FOSTER: OK. We'll see how President Hollande really reflects over that move later on this morning, Natalie, when we have that memorial, which we'll bring to you live the.

ALLEN: All right. Thank you, Max. We'll be back with you for that. We're going to return now live to Nairobi, Kenya, where the pope should be arriving any moment now at a stadium where the youth have gathered in this stadium very excitedly waiting for the pope to, we think, make a round in his car through the stadium before he addresses the crowd. And needless to say, they've been fired up -- and there he is.

We've been seeing the president of the country dance; we've been seeing leaders from the Catholic Church, the clergy dancing there in the stadium, all in anticipation of the pope's arrival.

And here he is. Earlier in Nairobi, he visited a slum. He talked about the importance of reaching out to the poor and showing them humility, showing the poor humility and support and service. And our Robyn Kriel is there in the stadium so she can give us the perspective from where she is to the crowd's reaction to Pope Francis arriving there -- Robyn.

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Natalie. The crowd has erupted when Pope Francis arrived in his Popemobile. Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, I've been there several times, reported from here several times at several dedications (ph). I tell you, I have never heard a crowd quite this loud, quite this excited.

Natalie, we've been waiting for hours. Some people have been lining up since 5 o'clock this morning just to get a glimpse of Pope Francis. This is the third day here in Kenya. He's addressing the issues of the youth. This is hugely important to him. Initially hugely important to Kenya, where so many young people are obviously so actively involved.

And here are some of the things -- I'm just listening to what the crowd is saying.

I can't quite make out what they're saying, but they are exceptionally excited. They've been singing welcoming messages to Pope Francis all morning. As you said, he just made his away from Kangemi slum, where also he addressed issues of the youth. That's been a major theme of his visit.

During the visit to Kangemi slum, he addressed poverty, lashing out at Kenya's political elite, saying that the issues of the poor need to be on the forefront of agendas in developing countries.

Youth issues that will be spoken about here today, we understand we'll be hearing about some of Kenya's youth. They'll be talking about issues of unemployment, a huge issue here in Kenya; issues of drugs, issues of terrorism, those the things that affect young people in developing nations in the Horn of Africa.

This is the pope's last major event before he leaves Kenya. He'll be flying to Uganda tonight. We're expecting to hear him speak as well as young people, as I said, this is an athletic stadium by trade and that is quite poignant, in a way, because is has been the home of so many of Kenya's award-winning, Olympic medal-winning athletes in the past.

Let's just take a listen to what the crowd is saying as they talk to the people who are riling them up.

(APPLAUSE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

(APPLAUSE)

KRIEL: We understand that President Kenyatta is in the crowd today as well as various dignitaries. And it's really more like a party than a ceremony to receive a religious leader. But this has been the way that Pope Francis has been greeted at most of his events that he's held. He held a holy mass yesterday, where more than 300,000 Kenyans attended and that was, as I said, really more like a party and then the mass happened.

Holy communion was taken by thousands of people. It's been raining almost nonstop since Pope Francis arrived, which I guess could be a bit of a downer for broadcasters like us, because our equipment is getting wet. But rain is considered a blessing in Kenya. So ever since Pope Francis landed, he has been rained on and, that, in Africa, is a good thing.

ALLEN: All right. We thank you, Robyn Kriel, and we'll continue to follow the pope's visit here to the stadium, his last stop in Nairobi. We'll take a quick break, we'll be right back.

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ALLEN: In just a few days, thousands of delegates from nearly 200 countries will meet in France to talk about climate change. The Paris climate conference or COP 21, as it's called, is aimed at producing the first-ever legally binding, universally applicable plan to combat global warming.

The agreement would be a more comprehensive and legally enforced successor to the Kyoto Protocol from many years ago. That expires in 2020 and excludes top greenhouse gas-emitting countries.

Delegates in 2009 tried to reach a similar agreement but failed, meaning all eyes will be on COP 21 for a lasting solution. We will be covering it extensively here at CNN.

Coal production is considered a major contributor to climate change but it is also a way of life for many people. For an Indian tribe in the U.S., the search for solution to a dire economy is colliding with tradition. John Sutter went to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana for this story.

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VANESSA BRAIDED HAIR, COFOUNDER, ECOCHEYENNE (voice-over): The land, to me, it's very unique. I just love Southeastern Montana. This is my home and my love for this place is so deep because it's who I am.

JOHN SUTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maybe you can't see it but this land is like an island in a sea of coal development. It's the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, located in a region that produces 40 percent of U.S. coal, sending it from coast to coast.

ALEXIS BONOGOFSKY, RANCHER (voice-over): It's a place no one really thinks about but that everyone is impacted by. If you are paying attention to energy and climate change, you need to be paying attention to the Powder River Basin. Billions and billions of tons of coal lie under the ground here. And what happens here will determine --

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BONOGOFSKY (voice-over): -- how the United States does on its climate policy.

SUTTER (voice-over): Researchers say we have to leave most fossil fuels in the ground if we're going to win at climate change to 2 degrees Celsius. That's when clouds get supercharged and some low- lying countries may actually disappear.

The scale of change that's need is staggering. For natural gas and oil, sure, but especially for coal. In the United States, 95 percent of coal must be left unburned. It's a message many indigenous people here have taken to heart.

KENNETH MEDICINE BULL, TRIBAL ELDER (voice-over): Our land is an extension of our home. We have to protect it for our children, grandchildren and future generations that are yet to come.

SUTTER (voice-over): But taking a stand against fossil fuels has come with a price for the Northern Cheyenne. And some tribal members want to see their resources extracted for profit.

ANTOINETTE RED WOMAN, LAME DEER (PH) RESIDENT: We have 80 percent unemployment. And every day, we see, I see the poverty, the desperation. I believe coal will give people work. And I don't see anything else happening.

BONOGOFSKY (voice-over): It's funny because the industry always says coal provides cheap energy. Go to the reservation and you see that people are spending $600 to $700 a month on their bills. In the winter, it's not cheap.

BRAIDED HAIR (voice-over): Our tribe is really struggling. Yes, we need jobs. Yes, we need a sustainable economy. But not at the price of our homeland.

SUTTER (voice-over): Vanessa Braided Hair is trying to lead a revolution, away from coal and towards cleaner energy. The Northern Cheyenne shouldn't have to fight this on their own. And they shouldn't have to choose between jobs and clean energy.

They need our support. They need world leaders to send clear signals that coal is dangerous and costly and that we're investing in a cleaner future.

BRAIDED HAIR (voice-over): I love it here. My ancestors loved it, too. And so that deep love that they have, I carry it, too. And I think that's worth fighting for.

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ALLEN: Certainly a lot of conflicting interests when it comes to what to do about climate change. You can read more about our coverage at cnn.com/2degrees. And you can even take a quiz to test our knowledge about climate change.

Keeping with our 2 Degree Initiative, 2015 is set to smash global temperature records. Derek Van Dam covering that for us and this means it will smash the hottest year before this year.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Which was 2014, right, yes.

Scientists are now all but certain that 2015 will be the hottest year on record. All graphs, all information that we study and climate scientists study pointing towards an incredible amount of warming taking place across the United States and the world.

I need to show you something. This is important. So take a look at this, Natalie.

And for you at home, we've got our 2 Degree Initiative that we continue to talk about here at CNN.

Remember, 2 degrees is the temperature that scientists believe, if we reach that, being the global average temperature across the world, we will run into runaway climate change.

Where we are at is actually staggering and where we've come in just one year is also staggering. So let's take a look at a global perspective. This is the temperature of the planet compared to where our average should be from preindustrial temperatures. That's what we rate everything against. That's when the humans, us, you and I, started to interfere with the Earth's climate system by burning fossil fuels.

Greenhouse gases, climate heat-trapping gases emitted into the air, like burning of fossil fuels and just driving to and from work, for instance, anywhere you see that shading of red, those are the areas that are above average, above where we should be this time of year.

Now as Natalie just mentioned, 2014 went in the record books as the hottest temperature global average across the planet. But look at where 2015 is now going. And I want to show you the stark difference between the two years. This is compared to average from post- industrial average temperatures.

We have risen 0.2 degrees Celsius from this time last year, compared to where we are now. So there is a number of factors here. Not only are we in a strong El Nino season but scientists have only attributed about 10 percent of this 0.2 degrees Celsius warming to that. It's really these --

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VAN DAM: -- global greenhouse gases that are allowing for that warming to take place.

ALLEN: Right. And not only leaders coming to Paris but people that represent coal, oil, renewable energies. It's going to be very interesting to watch.

VAN DAM: It is going to be quite a battle. Lots of unanswered questions that need to have some sort of resolution coming out of Paris.

ALLEN: Absolutely. And your graphics certainly illustrate that. Thanks, Derek.

We will take a break. CNN NEWSROOM will continue.

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ADAM BRAUN, FOUNDER, PENCILS OF PROMISE: Travel gives me a tremendous sense of freedom and also it gives me a set of experiences that remind me how small I am in the world and, at the same time, I think oftentimes embolden me to dream really big.

I'm Adam Braun, founder of Pencils of Promise and a "New York Times" best-selling author.

That picture reminds me of my trip to India as a 21-year-old college student and it was undoubtedly the most transformative trip of my life.

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BRAUN (voice-over): I watched a film called "Baraka." They showed a scene that was shot on the Ganges River in Varanasi (ph), India, and I was so motivated by that scene that I decided I had to get to India.

It was a profoundly spiritual moment, in all honesty. It was one of those times where you feel like you are coming into the person that you are destined to be.

Rani (ph), a young boy, asked me on the streets of India, who is a street beggar, if he could have anything in the world, the thing that he would want most was a pencil. And so off of that experience, I decided to start carrying many pens

and pencils. And I gave them out to a group of children, which was something that I eventually did with hundreds and hundreds and probably thousands of children (INAUDIBLE) in the countries (INAUDIBLE) since.

What started with just one school and one simple idea has now led to more than 300 schools around the world.

The power in the idea of a pencil is that it can unlock so much for any one individual. I recently learned the average pencil holds 40,000 words, which I think is just such a powerful statement on the sense of the imagination and curiosity and potential, that these tools of self-empowerment can provide to any one person.

The thing that pulls at my heartstrings the most is seeing children in communities of tremendous, tremendous poverty, where their parents are really committed to their educational well-being but they don't have the school support to pursue that aspirational dream.

If I hadn't gone to India, I don't think that Pencils of Promise, honestly, would have been created.

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ALLEN (voice-over): While Paris prepares to mourn victims of terrorism, police in Berlin arrest two men accused of plotting a new attack.