"We are starting to see investments in renewables or in low carbon energy increasing but this will be a process that will take many years. The energy doesn't change from one year to the next, it requires a 20-year perspective," Sachs said on the sidelines of the Gaidar Forum in Moscow, asked if positive effects of the Paris deal are already visible.
He also urged each country participating in the deal to come up with the strategy to fight against climate change.
"Most important thing right now is that every country internally and also in its region says 'this is our strategy', so 20 years from now we are in much more low carbon environment than today," Sachs added.
US President-elect Donald Trump should change his stance on climate change and take the Paris climate agreement seriously in order for other participating countries to follow suit, Jeffrey Sachs said.
During his election campaign, Trump has repeatedly criticized warnings about global warming, saying it was a "Chinese hoax," and speculated about ending US participation in the Paris climate deal on carbon emissions.
"There is a lot of will [among participating countries], but there is a lot of confusion as well, with Donald Trump for example. He has been rhetorically against this [deal]. What he knows or really believes in, nobody knows. I think it's very important for his administration to say immediately it's going to take this agreement seriously," Sachs said on the sidelines of the Gaidar forum.
Sachs also expressed hope that the rest of the world would strongly object if Trump upholds his anti-climate change views after he takes office.
On November 4, the Paris Agreement on climate change came into force. The deal, ratified by 111 countries, aims to limit global average temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial level, with parties to the deal agreeing to cut their emissions in accordance with the proposed plan.
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