A prominent American economist says there are "very few" individuals left who still doubt climate change because the evidence of its impact is clear.

Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs told the Associated Press Wednesday that public discourse has moved beyond whether climate change is really happening, to what needs to be done in practice.

He said people are worried and want action as the evidence of rising sea levels due to melting ice sheets in the Antarctic and Greenland is "overwhelming."

Sachs said an important development is the plummeting cost of solar and wind energy generation, putting it on par or even below the cost of energy from fossil fuels

Sachs was in Cyprus for talks with the country's president about his initiative for regional cooperation on climate change.