After Paris Terror Attacks, 8,000 Police To Patrol Borders Ahead Of Climate Change Summit

Ahead of the United Nations climate summit kickoff Nov. 30 in Paris, French authorities said they would deploy 8,000 police officers along the country’s borders, and 2,800 more would provide security at the conference venue, the Local reported Wednesday. The heightened security measures come after the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris, the deadliest in France since World War II.

Parisians have been asked not to drive their cars before the beginning of the summit, with major roads closed in Paris to allow world leaders to travel to and from the conference.

“It is essential that there is a general mobilization, and the message as of today and over the coming days is for people not to use their cars for several hours on Sunday and Monday,” Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

“These are exceptional measures,” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo added.

Security has increased in France and neighboring Belgium as authorities continue to conduct raids and make arrests in connection to the Paris attacks. French authorities also said that demonstrations planned by environmental groups to coincide with the summit for Nov. 29 and Dec. 12 have been banned.

The summit, COP21, had received 147 confirmations from heads of states and governments as of Tuesday, making it one of the largest diplomatic conferences outside of the U.N.’s annual General Assembly in New York. The meeting will focus on climate change, with leaders likely to negotiate new commitments to how their nations will take part in the fight against global warming.

U.S. President Barack Obama will attend the conference and is expected to dine with French President François Hollande on the first day of the summit. Obama urged other world leaders to attend the conference after the attacks to show that terrorists cannot dictate security.