(02 June 2017) – World leaders reacted with anger and defiance after President Donald Trump yesterday announced the United States, the world’s second biggest carbon emitter, was quitting the 2015 Paris Agreement.
With France’s Emmanuel Macron taking the lead, they lashed Trump’s decision as misguided and vowed to defend an accord they portrayed as crucial for the planet’s future.
In an exceptional step, continental Europe’s three biggest economies – Germany, France and Italy – issued a joint statement to criticise Trump’s move and say no to his offer of renegotiating the deal. “We note the United States’ decision with regret,” they said, describing the carbon-curbing accord as “a vital tool for our planet, our societies and our economies.”
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker lashed Trump’s decision as “seriously wrong”. Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete also pledged continued “global leadership” on climate change.
The Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) regrets the announcement by the President of the United States that his government will withdraw from the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
The US pull-out from the agreement was also denounced by many cities, local authorities and organisations in the United States who did not hide their shame on Thursday. (EurActiv and other sources)