WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is welcoming the news that the Paris agreement on climate change will take effect in a month as a historic achievement.

Obama, speaking in the Rose Garden, says that on this day, "the world meets the moment."

Obama says that if nations follow through on their commitments under the agreement, "history may well judge it as a turning point" for the planet.

The president says that while there is still much to be done, the agreement will help to delay or avoid some of the worst consequences of climate change.

The agreement commits rich and poor countries to take action to curb the rise in global temperatures.