US may backflip on Paris pact
THE Trump administration has done a backflip and will not pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, a European Union official has told The Wall Street Journal.
European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, told the newspaper the United States would “not renegotiate the Paris Accord”, but instead would review its terms.
White House senior adviser Everett Eissenstat unveiled the new US position at a meeting on Saturday, the Journal said. But the White House issued a sharp denial. “There has been no change in the United States position on the Paris agreement,” Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters said.
“As the President has made abundantly clear, the US is withdrawing unless we can re-enter on terms that are more favourable to our country.”
Whether or not the Trump administration stays in the climate accord, the US is expected to significantly reduce its ambition to curb greenhouse-gas emissions.
Mr Trump said the 2015 pact imposed wildly unfair environmental standards on American businesses and workers.
“I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,” he said at the time.
Several US governors and mayors, including New York’s Bill de Blasio, announced plans to meet the Paris standards in their states and cities.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Jose is expected to hit New York tomorrow as a tropical storm, bringing heavy rain and winds of up to 120kmph.