'Worthwhile life': Indian envoy's soundbite in top quotes from Paris climate talks

Le Bourget, France: Here are five of the best quotes on Friday from the UN climate conference in Paris, which aims to forge a universal pact to curb global warming: - Show courage [caption id=“attachment_2525190” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Climate summitry in Paris/ AP[/caption] American actor Leonardo DiCaprio challenges world leaders to make the hard decisions on climate change: “Do not wait another day, please do not let fear and doubt slow you down. Be bold, be courageous, do everything in your power to change our current course.” - Crazy survival plans Kiribati President Anote Tong tells AFP about floating islands, giant sea walls and other plans to protect his low-lying Pacific nation from rising waters caused by global warming: “I’m sure you think I’m crazy, but we’ve got a crazy situation. These kinds of events have never happened before, we are a country under serious threat. The strategies I’ve been advocating are somewhat radical, but I assure you they are not. They are as realistic as we can make them.” - Local is powerful Billionaire American businessman Michael Bloomberg urges leaders of local governments from around the world, gathered in Paris for a summit, to act on climate change: “We didn’t come to Paris to make history: we came to shape the future. We will put local climate action on the global stage. So far, the international negotiations have not recognised the contributions that local leaders can make. We are speaking with one voice, and that voice must be heard.” - World-changing debacle Jeffrey Sachs, renowned US economist director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, says there no option but success in Paris: “I think we are going to get an agreement. If we don’t, it will be a world-changing debacle.” - Worthwhile life Indian climate envoy Ajay Mathur explains why his nation still needs to rely heavily on coal to help lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty: “We don’t want to lock people into perpetual energy poverty and income poverty… people have to lead a worthwhile life on a worthwhile planet.” AP