Former US President Barack Obama took a swipe at President Trump's attitude to the environment Wednesday, saying the world needs "political and social commitment" to achieve sustainability. "Unfortunately we have a US administration that deals differently around these issues," he said to laughter from the audience as he addressed business leaders in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. In a wide-ranging talk, Obama outlined the need for a higher global focus on the environment, greater diversity in business, and the need for technology to solve global problems.

"The single highest priority that I see globally at this point is the issue of environmental sustainability," he said, adding that the Paris Agreement's global climate targets were "a first step in the right direction. But only the first step." He said environmental sustainability would only come when leaders adopted new technologies. "But that takes political and social commitment that right now is not forthcoming." The Obama administration ratified the Paris Agreement in September 2016. President Trump dumped the U.S commitment in June 2017.