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Biden Says Spending Plans Would Ease Inflation; COP26 Ends In Glasgow With Final Agreement; Taiwan Issue Looms Ahead Of Biden-Xi Summit; E.U. Border Crisis; Sudan Anti-Coup Protests; Astroworld Victims' Funerals In Houston; Angela Merkel Urges Germans To Get Vaccinated; Queen Elizabeth II Back In The Spotlight. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired November 14, 2021 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello, welcome to viewers around the world, I'm Kristie Lu Stout.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. The last-minute change, left many COP26 negotiators, disappointed with the group's final agreement.
Plus, how the Belarus and Poland border crisis is creating tension in Europe.
And, the topics that might dominate Monday's summit between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.
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STOUT: In Glasgow, Scotland, marathon sessions went into overtime, on Saturday. In the end nearly 200 negotiators at the COP26 conference, hammering out a final agreement. But the last-minute compromise, on coal, many delegates, crushed by the watered down language.
The British official, presiding over the conference, apologizing. U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres conceded, the agreement fell short but was better than no deal. Here he is.
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ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: We did not achieve these goals at this conference but we have some building blocks for progress.
I want to send a message to young people, indigenous communities, women leaders, all those leading on climate action. I know you are disappointed. But the path of progress is not always a straight line. Sometimes there are detours, sometimes there are ditches. But I know we can get there. We are in the fight of our lives and this fight must be won.
(END VIDEO CLIP) STOUT: Now the agreement does reaffirm the importance of trying to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It requests that countries bring more aggressive emissions targets to next year's conference in Egypt.
And it agrees to phase down, that's the wording, phase down the use of coal instead of phase out, a small but significant change requested by India. CNN's Phil Black has been covering the 2-week conference and has the latest for us from Glasgow.
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ALOK SHARMA, BRITISH BUSINESS SECRETARY: Adopt the decision entitled Glasgow Climate Pact, it is so decided.
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They got there in the end, applause but no real joy. The end result, an intensely negotiated agreement that at best achieves incremental progress and ultimately falls short for everyone.
But at a climate conference, that counts as a win. The final draft inspired passionate support from some wealthy countries.
JOHN KERRY, U.S. SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE: And this is good. This is a powerful statement.
FRANS TIMMERMANS, EUROPEAN COMMISSION VICE PRESIDENT: I please implore you, please embrace this text so that we can bring hope to the hearts of our children and grandchildren.
BLACK (voice-over): Vulnerable small island nations were more grudging but they backed it because it clearly describes the importance of keeping average warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. And it recognizes the critical need to cut emissions dramatically this decade.
AMINATH SHAUNA, MALDIVAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER: I would like to remind us all that we have 98 months to halve global emissions. The difference between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees is a death sentence for us.
BLACK (voice-over): This COP also made history. For the first time, including texts that calls for countries to move on from coal. But there was a dramatic, last-moment twist. India and others teamed up to insist on weakening that section by changing one key word: phase out became:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Escalating effort to phase down unlimited (ph) coal power.
BLACK (voice-over): It caused deep disappointment.
TINA STEGE, MARSHALL ISLANDS CLIMATE ENVOY: This commitment on coal had been a bright spot in this package. It was one of the things we were hoping to carry out of here and back home with pride. And it hurts deeply to see that bright spot dimmed.
BLACK (voice-over): The conference president couldn't hide his emotions.
SHARMA: I apologize for the way this process has unfolded and I am deeply sorry. I also understand the deep disappointment. But I think, as you have noted, it's also vital that we protect this package.
BLACK (voice-over): Outside the room, activists and experts predicted real change is coming after Glasgow.
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BLACK: Phasing down versus phasing out, what does that mean in practice?
JENNIFER MORGAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREENPEACE: Well, I actually don't think the change that the change of that word changed the signal, changes that signal. The signal is that coal is on its way out.
NICK MABEY, E3G CLIMATE THINK TANK: The big change here was people finally got the scale of the challenge and the urgency and we finally got a plan that meets that. And that was great but it's -- now it's roll up your sleeves time.
BLACK (voice-over): Scientists say the world needs transformational change. This conference just succeeded in keeping the process alive. That's not enough to ensure hope survives, too -- Phil Black, CNN, Glasgow.
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STOUT: Climate activists, in Glasgow, skeptical before the congress began and after Saturday's agreement, they quickly branded COP26 a failure ,showing off mock headstones, of past COP meetings, that also failed to bring decisive action.
The activist, Greta Thunberg and tweeted this quote.
"The COP26 is over. Here is a brief summary: blah, blah, blah. But the real work continues outside these halls. We will never give up, ever," unquote.
Ahead this hour, I speak with a noted climate activist, about what he considers good and bad, about the COP26 agreement.
Climate, change and the environment are top concerns of many people but right now, Americans have a more immediate problem. Surging costs, a continuing labor shortage and a clogged supply chain, have people in the U.S. growing, increasingly, nervous.
Consumer prices hit a 31 year high last month and it's not clear when things will get better. Nadia Romero, with more.
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NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From coast to coast, wallets are being stretched to their limits. Let's talk about California first and that is where the highest gas prices, the most expensive, $3.66 per gallon of unleaded fuel, that ties the all-time record, set, nearly a decade ago. That happened on Saturday.
But it is Atlanta that has the, overall, highest inflation rate in the country. The southern city has an inflation rate because of gas prices, housing and the cost of groceries, as well. Its inflation rate, 7.9 percent compared to the national average at 6.2 percent.
This data shows Georgia has become one of the top places to move in recent years, the demand for housing in the Atlanta metro area, outpacing supply, resulting in higher rents and home prices.
Beyond Atlanta, metro areas, nationwide, see spiking costs for basic items like gas, food and furniture, compared to last, year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists, also, linked to surge in pricing to bottlenecks in the supply chain.
The result of a collision between pent up consumer demand and a lack of resources. Georgia governor Brian Kemp touted a new mega rail system, at the port of Savannah, saying, it could alleviate some supply chain issues. But he also said the Biden administration needs to do more to address inflation concerns.
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GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): There's a whole another problem with inflation. You need to ask somebody at the White House about that. Everyone is worried about gas and groceries and everything else that you are buying. This is unsustainable. They want to spend more money up there. So people need to get more realistic, with real economics.
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ROMERO: With all of the rising costs, whether it be gas prices, groceries, housing it is no surprise new data coming out of the University of Michigan, shows that the consumer sentiment is at a 10- year low -- Nadia Romero, CNN, Atlanta.
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STOUT: Amid that disappointing news, the Biden administration is changing its tune on inflation, acknowledging Americans could feel the financial pinch longer than expected. CNN's Joe Johns, at the White House.
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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The presidents evolving approach to inflation, a reflection of concern, not just at the White House but also, up on Capitol Hill about spiking prices, almost across the board of the United States. . And the administration, earlier this year, fond of saying the situation was transitory and it would end soon, it was just a reflection of the supply and demand problems, created by the pandemic. Now the indications are it may not start subsiding, until the middle of next year, if not the end of next year, creating a political problem for congressional Democrats, up for reelection in the midterms, next November.
Republicans are attacking the president's spending progress, saying that is the cause of the inflation. He is pushing back. He says his program are anti-inflationary. Take a listen.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we are going to -- we'll see ease, and I say, yes, ease, lower inflationary pressures on our economy.
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BIDEN: And we will be carrying this out, what I call blue collar blueprint in America, one that builds the economy from the bottom up and middle out and one not from the top down.
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JOHNS: Expect to hear more of that messaging in the next several days, the president expected to sign his big infrastructure bill Congress just passed, on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, he flies to New Hampshire and Michigan, to sell it -- Joe Johns, CNN, the White House.
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STOUT: At the start of Mr. Biden's week a virtual summit with Chinese president Xi Jinping this week, their meeting since Biden took office, coming amid strained relations over Taiwan.
Diplomats exchanged stern warnings over the issue. The summit is scheduled for Tuesday morning, Beijing time.
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STOUT: Wendy Cutler is the vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and also the former acting U.S. deputy trade representative. She joins us now to look ahead at the issues facing the U.S. and China.
Thank you for joining us here on the program. The world knows that Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will be meeting very soon during a time of high tension.
What can this virtual summit achieve?
WENDY CUTLER, VICE PRESIDENT, ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE: Well, we need to keep in mind that the summit is occurring at a time where it is really the lowest point in U.S.-China relations.
And so one meeting is not going to turn the relationship around. I think we should have modest expectations and hope that the two leaders can set the tone and the direction for the relationship going forward. STOUT: Expectations should be modest, given the number of challenges
in this relationship. And ahead of this summit, we heard from the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, he spoke with the Chinese foreign minister and they discussed Taiwan.
Blinken concerned about Chinese pressure to the island and Wang Yi urged him not to send the wrong signal.
Is the fate of Taiwan right now the biggest flashpoint in relations between the U.S. in China?
CUTLER: I think that's fair to say. The two foreign ministers spoke today, not just on Taiwan but they are making preparations for this virtual meeting, so there are no surprises.
But Taiwan will rank high on the agenda. We can't count on any breakthroughs. I think both sides will just repeat their talking points and make sure that the other side understands their position and their intentions; no breakthroughs.
STOUT: No breakthroughs expected here. Let's talk more about Xi Jinping, because he's going to enter this virtual summit in a position of political strength, especially after what happened last week, the big Chinese Communist Party meeting.
How does this new power dynamic affect this summit and also U.S.-China relations going forward?
CUTLER: Well, both leaders will be domestically focused as they participate in this meeting. You are right, Xi Jinping comes off of the six party plenum; he is strong, he has consolidated his power. He has enshrined himself in the Communist Party -- you know, as one of the three preeminent leaders.
But yet he has between now and next November to actually secure his third term. And he doesn't want anything to go wrong and anyone or anything to stand in his way. So he will be concerned about the economy.
He will be concerned about any flashpoint in U.S.-Chinese relations. And he will want a stable relationship with the United States. And the president -- I think it's interesting -- he will be attending this meeting following the signing of the infrastructure bill. And I don't think that that is a coincidence.
I think he wants to show Xi Jinping that he also is coming into the meeting from a position of strength.
STOUT: And let's pull the lens back here and look at the big picture, the significance of this virtual summit.
Why is it so critical for these two leaders to meet right now?
CUTLER: Well, remember, this is only their third call since Biden has taken office. Relations are at an incredibly low point, although we have seen some de-escalation in the past month. And what we really need to see going forward is more engagement
between cabinet level, minister level, vice premier level, Chinese and U.S. officials on areas where possibly they can align their interests but also in areas where there are tensions and where through engagement they can avoid any misunderstandings or accidents.
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STOUT: And the fact that Biden and Xi will be talking, could represent a step forward. After this meeting, how can the U.S. and China, use this moment, use this positive momentum, what are the areas of potential cooperation?
CUTLER: Number one, climate change; we already saw last week at COP26, that China, and the United States, made a joint declaration and announcing a working group.
I think on trade China could agree to purchase more and both sides could work constructively in implementing the phase one agreement. We could also see modest steps like more visas being issued by both sides, as well as the reopening of consulates.
But what I will be looking for, is what they say about the relationship going forward and whether are there are concrete plans and issues that each side refers to, which sets, again, the tone and direction for the relationship for the weeks and months, ahead.
STOUT: Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, thank you for joining us.
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STOUT: A Polish soldier is dead, amid a standoff over migrants, on the Belarusian border. What caused the death and how top E.U. diplomats are responding to the crisis. Ahead. Plus, friends and family, pay tribute to a 16-year old killed, at the Astroworld concert in Houston.
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STOUT: A Polish soldier is dead, amid an ongoing standoff of migrants on the Belarusian border. The death, appearing to be a mishap, the result of an accidental shooting in Poland. But tensions remain high, as thousands of migrants are trapped in limbo.
Belarus is accused of staging a crisis in Poland and isn't budging, saying, they won't let the migrants in. For the very latest, CNN's Nada Bashir, is tracking the story from London.
The situation is deteriorating at the border and with all eyes on Brussels tomorrow where E.U. foreign ministers will decide a course of action.
What do we expect?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We do expect those E.U. foreign ministers to gather, tomorrow, for an emergency meeting in Brussels. They will be focusing their discussions on the situation at the border between Poland and Belarus.
We have heard from the E.U. foreign affairs chief, saying that he has spoken with foreign ministers in Poland and Lithuania, describing the situation as an unacceptable instrumentalization of people by the Belarusian government, to destabilize the European Union's external borders and to distract attention from the human rights abuses being committed in Belarus.
We also know U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, spoke with the Polish foreign minister, yesterday, as well. So there are intense diplomatic efforts there ongoing. But German foreign minister Heiko Maas earlier this week saying, about the upcoming talk on Monday, from the E.U., foreign ministers we can expect a potential expansion of sanctions on Belarus.
He said the sanctions are expected to target companies and individuals, involved in human trafficking, driving that migration crisis, that we are seeing, on the border. But while Belarus has been accused of driving this crisis, they have denied it. But we've seen accusations of Poland pushing migrants back..
And that stands in contravention of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. Any asylum seekers, seeking to enter the E.U., once reaching national territory, should be allowed to, at least, claim asylum. But we have seen reports of migrants being pushed back.
Of course, these refugees, are currently, living in dire conditions, freezing, with desperate shortages in medication and food. Many of the families extremely vulnerable with young children. So a critical situation at the moment, with humanitarian aid groups, calling for access, in order to help these refugees.
But the Polish authorities have been beefing up their borders and they've installed 15,000 soldiers on the border, including a barbed wire fence to prevent refugees from being able to access and cross border into Poland and the European Union.
So it is a critical situation and these European Union foreign ministers will be looking, tomorrow, to put that pressure on Belarus, to quell the situation -- Kristie.
STOUT: Nada Bashir, reporting live for us from London, thank you.
A doctors group says Sudan's military forces killed at least five protesters, on Saturday.
The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors also reporting numerous injuries from live ammunition and people exposed to tear gas. Demonstrators, taking to the streets on Saturday to protest military rule after activists called for a million man march.
This was the scene in Khartoum. CNN's Larry Madowo joins me now live.
The protest turned deadly on Saturday.
What's more have you learned?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Most of these people who died or at least were apparently shot by the military, 4 of them, at least according to Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, one person is said to have choked on tear gas that was deployed, in some of these protests.
Eyewitnesses say, tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of people, were marching, across Sudan against the military coup of October 25, where General Abuhan (ph) is now, essentially, in charge of this country.
He has, recently, appointed a new sovereign council, without the civilian members, who are part of this power sharing agreement, running Sudan since April 2019, when similar popular protests overthrew the long-term leader of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir.
Now this brutality you see, against those protesters, who were trying to go back to the democratic transition.
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MADOWO: The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors say that they had seen numerous injuries, from live ammunition and brutality of the military. But they say they will keep protesting and they will go back on the streets. They have called for widespread, civil disobedience, until there is a return to that democratic transition.
STOUT: The protest movement undeterred.
And, Larry, since the coup, how has life been upended there?
Its economy, its society, its level of connectedness to the outside world?
MADOWO: Let me start with that last bit, about level of collectiveness. Mobile internet has been cut off, since the October 25 coup. It makes it difficult to organize. What they are doing, is local resistance committees are using flyers, other low tech means, to organize people and get them on the streets.
You've seen the statement from doctors, teachers and other civil organizations. It is all to make sure they get their voices heard. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, lots of international partners have cut funding for Sudan, because they see this as an abortion of that march to a democratic government. It should have been in place.
They were working toward having an election in 2023 and going back to a full civilian government. So it's a difficult time to be in Sudan right now. STOUT: Larry Madowo, thank you so much for that update. Thank you for
joining us.
Ecuador's president called an emergency cabinet meeting, on Saturday, to address the latest eruption of deadly clashes in the nation's prisons. Apparently, gang violence killed dozens of inmates in one of Ecuador's most overcrowded prisons, the same one where clashes broke out weeks ago.
Stefano Pozzebon has the latest.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The government of Ecuador has called a crisis cabinet after at least 68 inmates were killed and 35 were injured in clashes in the Litoral penitentiary in the coastal city of Guayaquil.
This is the same prison where 118 inmates were killed in September in similar clashes. In both cases authorities put the blame on rival gangs, competing for control of the prison. Guillermo Lasso, the president of Ecuador, did not speak to the nation but went on Twitter to demand that the constitutional court to pass new regulation aimed at reestablishing orders in the jail.
Ecuador's jails are overcrowded and clashes between inmates are common. In the year so far, more than 300 inmates were killed in prison violence, according to the country's prison service.
And the entire prison system has been under a state of emergency since Septembers due to the ongoing wave of violence. The inmates are often well-armed with high caliber guns and explosives.
Just on Friday, the Ecuador police announced it had seized seven firearms and 27 packages of ammunition that were being smuggled inside Litoral penitentiary. But that could not prevent the violence from escalating once again.
At least 900 policemen and the armed forces were deployed to the prison on Saturday as more clashes were reported -- for CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
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STOUT: Ahead on CNN, family and friends pay their final respects to one of the young victims killed at the Astroworld festival. And, governments, across Europe are implementing restrictions and pleading with residents to get vaccinated. A live report on efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus on the continent. Stay with us.
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STOUT: The funeral held Saturday, for one of the youngest victims of the deadly crowd surge at the Astroworld festival. Brianna Rodriguez, was just 16 years old. Authorities say the official cause for each of the nine victims could take weeks.
CNN's Natasha Chen is in Houston, Texas, with more on the criminal investigation and the moments leading up to the tragedy.
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NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This memorial wall, sitting outside of the green lot, near where the Astroworld concert was, held last week. It is one of the lots mentioned in the timeline of events, from the Houston Fire Department.
At various times, the fire department logs showed people pushing over the fence, even climbing under it, people breaking through without wristbands. That is just an example of the chaos, documented, for about 12 hours before nine people were, ultimately, trampled and killed that night.
One of them was 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez, whose family held funeral and burial services, on Saturday.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee attended the memorial, learning more about the teenager with the bright smile, who was known for being a talented dancer.
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REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX): She was their favorite. And of course, you got to reinforce dancing, because we don't know what her career, her future would have been. But her dancing just got everyone's attention.
It was natural, of course. But also you were touched by this warm and loving family. You can see the genuine affection and the genuine leadership that Brianna gave.
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CHEN: The investigation continues in what happened and who was responsible. Even high-profile attorneys like Benjamin Crump are getting involved, representing survivors and victims' families. Crump held a press conference on Friday, with many survivors describing what it was like being crushed from all sides by other bodies.
They witnessed people on the ground, unable to breathe. A friend of Brianna Rodriguez told me she was there with her with a group of friends and the last thing he heard her say was, "I can't breathe."
A nine-year-old boy, remaining in the hospital in critical condition -- back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE) STOUT: Now the Oklahoma National Guard appears to be going rogue and defying the U.S. federal government. The Pentagon says it will respond to Oklahoma's governor after the state's National Guard, indicated, it would reject a mandate that all troops be vaccinated.
The Defense Department said it was aware of a memo that was issued by the Guard's newly installed adjutant general, saying, the mandate would not be enforced. It's worth nothing that the former adjutant general, who was a supporter of the COVID-19 vaccine, was abruptly relieved of his duties on Wednesday.
And the U.S. isn't the only country dealing with vaccine hesitancy. If you live in Berlin, you'd better have COVID-19 shot or proof of recovery before heading out on the town in the coming days.
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STOUT: The German capital is banning the unvaccinated, from restaurants, bars, cinemas and other public venues, starting on Monday. Germany has been hit especially hard with the recent surge in COVID infections across Europe.
Much of the continent is seeing a similar surge in new COVID-19 infections. The World Health Organization says Europe recorded nearly 2 million new cases in the last week alone. That is the highest 7day increase since the pandemic began. and there were nearly 27,000 new deaths last week, that's accounted for more than half of the deaths, worldwide during that time.
For more now on the escalating COVID crisis, in Europe, I'm joined by CNN contributor Barbie Nadeau, live from Rome.
European COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
How are governments responding?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're seeing a number of limited lockdowns. So the Netherlands, implementing a three week lockdown. Austria implementing a lockdown for unvaccinated people.
This scattershot approach is, of course, a little bit contradictory because people can still move between E.U. countries, they still have no new travel restrictions. You have hot spots in some countries like Italy, where weeks of protests have turned into a superspreader event.
And governments trying to figure out what to do to avoid the lockdowns we saw, last fall, as these numbers continue to grow.
STOUT: What about the pace of vaccination?
Are you seeing the ramping up of shots and booster shots, across Europe?
NADEAU: Again, this is varied country, to country. In Italy, there's 90 percent of people had one vaccine so far. And many more, have been vaccinated, fully. But you don't have a strong booster campaign, in effect yet.
In December, they will start vaccinated those over 40 without health compromise. So you have fewer vaccines, in places like Germany, which has become a hot spot there, with less than 70 percent of the total population vaccinated.
Until you get everyone on board on the same line, I think that they will be looking to how to get no vax people vaccinated and get the vaccinated their booster shots before their immunity starts to wane.
It is a complicated approach, across the European Union but they are trying to avoid a situation, like last year.
STOUT: What is the mood there in Italy and across the region?
This is the second year of the coronavirus pandemic. We are looking at unpopular curbs, lockdowns being, considered being enforced again. How does this weigh on the people there?
NADEAU: People are concerned. But if you look back a few months, it was like the pandemic never happened. People were out, the restrictions were lifted, they weren't really paying attention to what could be coming. Even though the health authorities were warning, if you don't take precautions, if you don't keep your masks on, if you don't socially distance we will be right back to where we were last year.
Here we are again. People are a little bit depressed and tired of it. I think there's a lot of pandemic fatigue across Europe right now. That is prompting many people to just say forget it, whatever happens, happens and that is very, very dangerous, especially for those with compromising health situations.
STOUT: Very dangerous, because the pandemic is not over. Barbie Nadeau, thank you for your reporting and take care.
Now China, meanwhile, is making progress in getting its young people immunized against COVID-19. They're saying that they have vaccinated half of children 3-11. That's nearly 84.5 million kids.
Beijing hopes to vaccinate all children, in this age group by the end of the year.
The U.N. climate conference in Scotland, is over but no one is cheering the final agreement. A climate expert offering his views on what was and was not accomplished.
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STOUT: Long and tense negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, finally led to a climate agreement that everyone could endorse but few were happy with it. The agreement reaffirms the importance of holding global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
It requests countries bring more aggressive emissions targets at next year's conference and, it agrees to phase down the use of coal instead of phase out, a small but significant change, from India.
But the last-minute change on coal, was deeply, disappointing, including the COP president, who approved it if only to keep the final agreement alive.
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STOUT: Let's bring in Renato Redentor Constantino. He is the executive director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities and is an National Climate and Energy Policy Group, based in the Philippines.
Thank you so much for joining us here. As you know, a climate deal was reached in Glasgow but with the last-minute change on coal, the language was watered down from phase out to phase down, what do you make about this outcome?
RENATO REDENTOR CONSTANTINO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABLE CITIES: Thanks for having me.
The outcome, you can describe it in many different ways. First of all, it is historic. After 26 conferences of the parties, after so many meetings, globally, we are now able to locate fossil fuels into official text. That, in itself, is a landmark achievement. It has taken so many years of denial and obfuscation by fossil fuel-peddling countries to prevent that from happening.
Now it's there and the next thing that we will be talking about, how to make not only coal history but oil and gas, as well. Was it disappointing?
Yes, it could have been better because it was phased down rather than phased out. But the signs are already clear. We're sending the right signals and as many activist had also said, the real work happens in the real economy.
It is time to ramp up protection as well as decarbonization, across the entire world, with rich countries having to take responsibility, first.
STOUT: As you point out, this is when the real work begins. Governments across asia have made promises, pledged to do better, including China and India. India, which is now targeting 2070 for net zero emissions. But there are promises and there is action.
Do you worry that there are some governments that are in a position to, yes, do it to reach those targets.
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STOUT: And that there are many who, simply, cannot? CONSTANTINO: We are worried, constantly but we are also feeling a lot of optimism and seeing a lot of changes happening on the ground, changes that we wouldn't have anticipated, maybe, just as recently as 10 years ago.
In the first place, it really has to be said that, however much fingers have been pointing, rightly at India for watering down the text, this has also enabled by the refusal of governments to, actually, be even more ambitious.
The disappointment here was the U.S., including governments and delegations that behaved like Neanderthals. Australia's government was an embarrassment and so were the Saudis.
However, there are countries determined to transform their economies with or without Paris as the motivation. Vietnam is the leading solar installer in the entire of Southeast Asia, something unthinkable a decade ago. Indonesia has, already, started phasing out coal and bringing in substantial amounts of renewable energy.
The Philippines declared a moratorium on new coal plants last year. Things are happening on the ground. The real economy is changing. But world leaders have to be more than what they did in Glasgow. We cannot be behaving like a bunch of troglodytes, meeting every year, where the final few of fossil fuel peddling countries will win the day. Pressure needs to grow even more now.
STOUT: Pressure needs to grow even more now, especially for the nations that need to step up and do more with their climate commitment.
So I want to ask about the people power behind the pressure, the demand for change among the people. There are these passionate climate protests in Europe, not so much across Asia.
Is there that passion and desire among people in the Philippines and across Asia to demand more climate action?
CONSTANTINO: Certainly, there is a lot of room or improvement, in each of our countries, especially in Southeast Asia, not just Asia. The pressure needs to be greater, because we cannot keep blaming rich countries for all of the troubles that we actually can fix at home.
In the Philippines, for instance, clean air quality, we have neglected for 20 years at the cost now of $87 billion per year. That's just in the Philippines. That is something that we need to fix. It cannot be a simple climate negotiation produced outcome.
This about people, about lives and within a pandemic, studies have clearly shown, that air quality is responsible for about 15 percent of COVID-related deaths. If our air quality is bad, our health is bad as well and the pandemic will simply worsen.
And more importantly, if a country cannot -- continues to ignore the fact that 23 percent of GDP is the equivalent of neglecting our air quality standards, we cannot be held by international treaties. So domestically, populations in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines need to step up and make our own governments accountable.
STOUT: We need to step up, we need to address the climate crisis. There is just so much at stake. Renato Redentor Constantino, thank you so much for your work and thank you for joining us, here, on CNN NEWSROOM. Take care.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: It's been almost two weeks since doctors told her to rest, following a one-night stint in hospital. But the public should get its first glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II in, just a short while. A live report from London, on the return of the monarch next, on CNN NEWSROOM.
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STOUT: Queen Elizabeth II set to make her public appearance in weeks very soon. The 95-year-old British monarch has not been seen, since advised by doctors to rest, after she spent a night in hospital, last month, for what a spokesman described, as preliminary investigations.
The queen will be attending the United Kingdom's annual Remembrance Day service. Nina Dos Santos in London, joining us now.
Nina, nearly 2 weeks, what is ahead for the queen today?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: This is the first time Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II seen in person since she had to spend that in hospital as a precautionary measure, then to retire temporarily, from public duties.
The last time we saw her was hosting a COP26 speech. She had to do that remotely. So this is important because it's the first time people will actually see her. She won't be taking part in the same level of detail, as she used to be in these Remembrance services. She will be watching from the balcony of a government office.
In about 1.5 hours is the start of an important ceremony the U.K. undertakes, every single year, along Whitehall near the Cenotaph, a key war memorial to remember the sacrifices of service men and women from the British Isles, the United Kingdom, in World War II and, also, in other campaigns around the world.
This time, the queen will be watching from her balcony and watch her heir and son, Prince Charles, undertake that key moment of placing a wreath of poppies on the Cenotaph.
This is attended by tens of thousands of service men and women. It also attracts the prime ministers and members of government and the British establishment. It is a very important moment, not just for the monarchy but also for the rest of the country. And it is the first time that is happening in a couple years, the way it used to.
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DOS SANTOS: Because, of course, last year's ceremonies were upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.
STOUT: How significant is this day, on a personal, level for the queen?
This, year in particular and every year.
DOS SANTOS: It is highly significant not just for the queen but all members of the royal family. A number of male members of the royal family have served time in the Navy or the armed forces.
The link with the forces here, in the United Kingdom, are crucial. British, troops were allegiants to the queen and she takes the pledge extremely seriously. You always see senior members of the royal family taking part in these Remembrance Day celebrations.
And just on the 11th of November there was another service and ceremony, that took place. In fact, the queen wasn't in that one, sent other members of her family but these moments are crucial.
STOUT: Nina dos Santos, live from London, thank you very much.
Over in the United States, Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, met with Afghans who made it out of their country. The couple spoke with women, at a military base, in New Jersey housing more than 10,000 Afghan refugees.
They also stopped by a classroom of children learning conversational English, leading the children in a round of the song, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," which they said is a favorite of their son, Archie.
Thank you for spending part of your day with me, I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong. Kim Brunhuber, here, in just a moment, as CNN NEWSROOM continues.
