Failure at COP21 would be a “disaster” says Hollande

French President François Hollande warned on Thursday that failing to reach a global climate agreement at the crucial United Nations Climate Change Conference in December in Paris would be a "disaster".

The 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in the French capital from November 30 to December 11 and a historic deal is due to be signed by the 195 UN member states.

The UN-led effort is designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels to avert catastrophic impacts of climate change including rising sea levels, severe droughts and flooding.

Hollande (pictured) visited the National Institute of Solar Energy in Le Bourget-du-Lac eastern France and told reporters that failure to reach a strong climate deal in December would be a "disaster".

President Hollande said: "If there is an agreement on climate, it won't only be a deal on rules, mechanisms, it will also be a deal on financing, because many emerging or vulnerable countries have asked that their energy transition be given financing, and rightly so."