anchor: hello. our headlines this hour -- france investing in african sunshine -- new plans announced today to spend billions on solar power and other renewable energy sources in some of the world's least polluting countries. they are moving toward more military involvement in syria -- the german and british governments preparing to ask dealmakers to approve action against the islamic state group's syrian positions.

and 16 lebanese soldiers and policemen set free by their al qaeda-linked captors in a that has seen 13 islamist militants released from jail. day number two of the united nations climate summit is just about trying to a close north of paris. it has been another day of diverse concerns. britain's prince charles addressed a talk on deforestation while barack obama said one of the most efficient ways to cut emissions is to tax them. -- the french president they will double their investments in renewable energy.

reporter: these fishermen are going home empty-handed. fish are disappearing in what is left of lake chad. it only one 20th of the size it was in the ninth teen 60's. the niger river basin has seen the same. the president of the african development bank is calling for urgent global action. >> others pollute and africa pays and pays dearly. lake chad is almost gone. we must not abandon africa. africa has been short changed by climate change. africa must not be shortchanged by climate finance. reporter: africa has contributed ,ar less than europe, asia north america to fossil fuel emissions, but the content is

particular a vulnerable to climate change. the world bank believes drought, weathernd changing could cause 14 million africans to fall into extreme poverty in the next 15 years as they lose their homes and precious farmland. the french president has said he agrees that the developed world owes the african continent and environmental debt. catherine: -- pres. hollande: france will devote 6 billion euros for the african continent of element. thise will also invest and will be overseen -- 2 billion euros for energy. focused onhe meeting how to finance the great green african union treeplanting initiative to fight the encroaching sahara desert. erosion and water security were also high on the agenda.

all of the world leaders attending got a chance to speak to the delegates at cop21 . the u.s. president gave another ed speech.tch he insisted climate change can be solved. obama: inning 200 nations to agree on anything is hard and i'm sure there will be moments were progress seems stymied and everyone rushes to write that we are doomed. but i am convinced we will get things done here. keep in mind nobody expected that 180 countries would show up in paris with serious climate targets in hand. nobody expected the price of clean energy would fall as fast as it has or that back in the united states, the solar industry would be creating jobs 10 times faster than the rest of the economy.

catherine: as the world's attention turns to global warming, we are looking at some of its effects in france. scientists are warning that trees andnds of fir pine could be disappearing. some species in the south of france are slowly creeping further north. at 1005 hundred meters altitude, these scientists are gathering information about the fate of france toss forests. the white branches are dead trees, and increasingly common site. us is now half as dense as it was 10 years ago. droughts of 2003 and 2006, the pines started to die and now there are spots where most of them are dead. reporter: an examination of the trunk reveals the rings are much smaller for the driest years.

the trees are getting weaker. , and open air scientific research center. machines measure the amount of co2 being absorbed by the trees and the soil humidity. here, pine trees are among the most vulnerable. >> because of rising temperatures and humidity that persists, there are a lot of problems with parasites, notably fungus destroying the younger plants. the last 10 years have seen a number of new plants plummet by 75%. -- labsy by aroldis play a vital role in understanding it. >> forests absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. the same carbon dioxide responsible for global warming. it could be a step backwards where trees whose orb less and

less carbon dioxide and amplify global warming. the forests are an indispensable ally in the fight against climate change. country'sb 15% of the annual carbon dioxide emissions. restrine: moving on to the of the days international news -- germany is poised to join the international military coalition against the islamic state group in syria. the government approved plans to , ad reconnaissance jets frigate and military personnel to the region for one year. members of paller meant -- members of parliament will vote on it. reporter: an endorsement from to shows cabinet solidarity with france. the country's government has approved joining the fight

against the islamic state group leader in syria. if the plan is accepted, tornado reconnaissance jets, refueling aircraft, frigate and up to 1200 military personnel are expected to be deployed to the region. while germany will not actively engage in combat, it marks a major shift for the country that has been reluctant to join military interventions. the u.k. is also determined to stand by its ally. on wednesday, parliament will debate launching airstrikes against the islamic state group in syria. >> i believe there is growing support across harlan for the compelling case there is to act il in syria and iraq, the headquarters of the terrorists. recognizeo sense to the border in the action they take when they do not recognize the border. he asked lawmakers to

use their conscience rather than toe the party line. the british prime minister said he would not have called for the vote unless he is confident of victory. britain is expected to step up its military operations against the islamic state group shortly after approval from parliament. catherine: back here in paris, the trial has been done today of a frenchman accused of fighting with the islamic state group and running a recruitment network. salim benghalem has featured prominently in the group's propaganda. it is believed he is in syria, which means he is being tried in absentia. the huge omission from the courtroom, the principal accused, the man accused of being the head of the terror network, salim benghalem. he is not in court. he is being tried in absentia. it is presumed if he is still alive that he is in syria

fighting with the islamic state group. he's one of the most wanted terrorists in the world today. an international arrest warrant has been placed for him and he is accused of being an executioner, a jailer for the islamic state group, and recruiting french jihadists and being at the head of this terror network. been hearing from the six men accused of working with salim benghalem. we have been hearing from one of the intermediaries with french who admitted under questioning that he had gone to syria because he was searching a goal in life. he said he came back to france because he no longer agreed with the goals of the islamic state group and condemned the recent attacks in paris. it is worth pointing out that this trial is not directly innected to the attacks

november in paris. however, there are proven links between members of this terror network and the attacks on the therlie hebdo" magazine and kosher supermarket. in the few days, the judges will be questioning the accused on some of the reams of telephone intercept evidence they have acquired, which is the base of this trial. it really highlights how concerned french authorities are about cracking down on terror networks on home soil. catherine: in iraq, the army is theently battling to retake city of ramadi from the islamic state group. the army dropped leaflets and broadcast a warning telling civilians to leave. the islamic state group seized the city in may in an embarrassing defeat for the national army. the u.s. led international coalition launched french -- launched fresh airstrikes in iraq. one tactical unit was hit while fighting positions and command

areas, a weapon stash into buildings were destroyed. we were in hell, now we are in the words froms a lebanese hostage freed today in a prisoner swap deal. 16 soldiers and policemen held for more than one year have in released by the nusra front. , lebanon has released 16 prisoners from its jails. reporter: it is the moment these families have been waiting for. images of their relatives on the way back to beirut, part of a prisoner swap with the al nusra front, a branch of al qaeda militant islamists fighting in syria. >> i cannot express how happy i am today. we were prisoners of war and now we are going back home. surprised we were held

for so long. it was too hard. we have been counting the days in the hours. men had been held captive for over year. 29 people were abducted by al nusra and the islamic state group after militants over around the town -- overran the town. forward killed during captivity. further nine remain in the hands of the islamic state group. some of the families of those taken hostage had been cap being -- had been camping is a government palace in an attempt to secure their safe release. it killed us every time they threatened to kill the prisoners and every time someone died. thankfully, god appreciated our efforts and in the end, he rewarded us with their freedom. lebanese security ex-wife of a the

former islamic state group leader was arrested last year and said she intends to go to turkey with her three children. peaceful and transparent -- that is some of the high praise of the latest presidential election which brought a former prime minister to the president's office promising to look after the fundamental needs of his fellow countrymen. he had just 53% of the vote with his nearest rival, 29.6. reporter: plenty of reaction that on news that sunday evening, the former prime minister won the presidential election in the very first round. a little earlier, we heard from

the european union group of election observers that praised sunday's vote for happening calmly, for being largely credible with few technical difficulties. although they did say it was a shame and regrettable that there were not more women candidates on the list of presidential candidates, just two out of the 14 candidates were women. we have also been hearing from civil rights groups who have been reacting to the news that said he would like to create a government which was a unity government that included members members of thed opposition party as well as leaders in civil rights groups. hereain civil rights group which was the key movement behind the ouster of the former to us thatas said they would not be interested in being part of a unity government. they set a truly democratic

government, one that is truly accountable has to have a credible opposition and that means a group of opposition that is not encompassed within the government itself. catherine: it has been a turbulent year for the pitino fast out -- for burkina faso. october 2014, forced to step down after 24 years in power. he had tried to amend the constitution to enable him to run for a third term. instead, he became the first leader in sub-saharan africa to be toppled by a popular uprising. he could be an exception. he belongs to a generation who have been reluctant to give up power. burundi has been thrown into turmoil since the president said he would run for a third term.

four months, massive street protests were met with violent repression and a crackdown on media outlets. despite the escalation of violence, they decided to maintain the election and one by a landslide after the opposition boycotted the votes. it's one of eight african countries were earlier have extended term limits. the senate in rwanda adopted a draft constitution allowing the president for run -- you run for up for three more terms theoretically extending his stay in office. in the republic of congo, a referendum held in a sober -- held in president october allowed the president to run for another term. in the drc, it is unclear whether the president will run for office next year despite twice failing to amend the constitution to allow him a third term. it is a quarter past

night in the evening here in paris. a reminder of our headlines this hour -- investing in african sunshine -- france announces a plan to spend billions on solar power and other renewable energy theurces on day two of cop21 climate conference in paris. moving toward more military involvement in syria -- the german and british governments prepared to ask lawmakers to approve new action against the 's syriantate group positions as requested by the french president. andebanese soldiers policemen have been set free by their al qaeda-linked captors in a prisoner swap deal that has seen 13 islamist militants released from lebanese jails. for some more business news. we have a strong message from the u.s. president at the paris climate summit.

nott: barack obama really mincing his words today. saying it is imperative that climate change be tackled for the economy and security. he expects the world to forge a major climate change agreement in the coming weeks. it makes sense for the environment, the government, and businesses. pres. obama: it gives investors the certainty that the global economy is on a path toward a low carbon future because that will spur the kind of investment that will be vital to combine reduced admissions with economic growth. -- reduced emissions with economic growth. not just an agreement to roll back the pollution that threatens our planet, but an agreement that helps our economies grow. toherine: the argument used be what's good for the environment wasn't good for the economy. there's a bit of a wider feeling beyond barack obama passed

message that what comes out of cop21 could be good for the global economy. isst: what we are seeing over time this renewable energy push has become more affordable and in many instances, it's become a more attractive investment than traditional fossil fuels. the companies moving forward not just to do good but, because it helps their bottom line. >> we are experiencing a carbon bubble at the moment. industryt is the coal is now in what is called structural decline. at the same time, renewable energy is becoming cheaper, more popular, more widely accepted and more profitable. not only is it good for the climate, it's good for investors as well. catherine: there was some other news outside of the paris climate summit, hard as it is to

believe. some data out of the eurozone. don't seem to have this often on this portion of the program, but good news coming out of the eurozone showing october at its lowest level in nearly four years. .1% to the lowest since january 2012. here are the figures from the three largest economies -- germany has the lowest rate while france held steady at 10.8%. 11.5%.aw a small bump to but still there are plenty of causes for concern, particularly with youth unemployment. those figures from greece date to august, but that is surprisingly an improvement. of positive figures but it was not enough to boost the european markets.

the european markets closed mixed today. many investors digesting that data as well as anticipating what the central bank might say this thursday. it is expected to announce whether it will launch more stimulus or not. a very important jobs report out friday and wall street is thesting data that showed american manufacturing sector has contracted for the first time in three years. in the u.s. at its lowest levels 2009. nonetheless, markets responding in wait positively, but and see mode until the end of the week. one company we have talked about for the last few weeks, volkswagen. have some idea of how the omissions scandal has affected their skate -- effect of their sales. guest: they have reported their u.s. sales for the month of november fell 25%.

it's a clear sign that the damage done by the emissions cheating scandal is not all cracked up to be what they were hoping to do. carmaker has shelled out millions of dollars in compensation to american clients, but french earners will not be so lucky. french customers affected by the emissions cheating scandal will not get a single sent back. north american customers will get $1000 in vouchers. books wagon in france plays to the peculiarities of the american diesel market to explain the difference. >> in the u.s., diesel is a niche market that represents only 3% of sales and the technical measures will be applied differently. reporter: with half a million cars affected, it could cost up to $500 million. that means a similar program for $8.5 billion.ost

for old flagon, the financial consideration is unfair. >> i don't see why americans get compensation while we europeans only get to change our software. reporter: his lawyer will be defending 270 clients and they say volkswagen is guilty of fraud. >> i'm telling drivers not to return their cars because if you do, hold flagon will get rid of any trace of fraud and you will never be able to blame them. 948,000 vehicles are affected in france. while they will not get a refund, drivers will be contacted by the auto group to get a free update of the cars software. the auto industry as we take a look at some of the other headlines. fiat chrysler reported its best quarter in a decade.

its jeep brand fared better with sales jumping 20%. they say they got a boost from low interest rate, low oil prices and unemployment. a bad streak for brazil -- the economy has retract -- has contracted for the third straight quarter for the first time since the 1990's. by economy has been hobbled high unemployment, high inflation and low spending from its growing middle class. suing did announce its bhp billiton for more than $7 billion. the government is seeking damages from the mining giant to clean up a mess after one of its dams first and unleashed a torrent of toxic waste that left more than a dozen people dead. bhp shares fell to a 10 year low. catherine: just time for one last story -- christmas is coming and children are asking for the latest toys. one of the latest toys from mattel has raised a few

eyebrows. a smart barbie. guest: it is causing a bit of controversy, not because of her intelligence, but the technology around it. it was released about ú1ú

12/01/15 12/01/15 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from the u.n. climate summit in paris, france, this is democracy now! >> the target was, we should not hope beyond two degrees celsius and now to be speaking about four or five degrees celsius is, to put it in other terms, to burn the planet. amy: they once sat at the same table as the world leaders who gather here in paris to hammer