AFP

The United States presidential election will be “make or break” for the planet after four years during which Donald Trump frustrated global efforts to slash emissions, climate experts warn, fearing his re-election may imperil the world’s chances of avoiding catastrophic warming.

But Mohamed Adow, the director of climate think tank Power Shift Africa, said Trump showed the accord was actually “much stronger than many of us feared”.

“He has been the ultimate stress test and despite his full frontal attack, no one else has followed his folly and quit the agreement,” he said.

“Ultimately, the transition to a zero carbon world is now unstoppable, the question is can it happen fast enough to protect the world’s poorest people,” said Adow from Power Shift Africa. “The stakes for the planet could not be higher.”