World leaders pledge to keep up the fight
World leaders pledged Thursday to keep up the fight against global warming as U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was pulling out of the Paris climate accord.
The European Union’s top climate-change official said Trump’s decision to leave the Paris accord made it “a sad day for the global community.”
The EU climate action commissioner, Miguel Arias Canete, said in a statement the bloc “deeply regrets the unilateral decision by the Trump administration” but vowed “the world can continue to count on Europe for global leadership.” Canete also predicted the EU would seek new alliances from the world’s largest economies to the most vulnerable island states, as well as U.S. businesses and individuals supportive of the accord.
Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said on Twitter that Italy will keep its commitments for reducing emissions, renewable energy and sustainable development.
Norway’s largest pension fund with €53 billion ($59.5 billion US) in assets under its management said it would also continue to invest in renewable energy despite the American president’s decision, saying in a statement: “Donald Trump is jumping off a train that has already left the station.”
Chief executive Odd Arild Grefstad cited the growth of renewable energy in U.S. states such as Texas, New York and California as signs “the world has started the transition from fossil to a renewable economy.”
Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore called Trump’s decision “a reckless and indefensible action” and said the move “undermines America’s standing in the world.”
Before Trump announced his decision Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told reporters during a visit to Berlin that fighting global warming was a “global consensus” and an “international responsibility.”
Without mentioning the U.S. specifically, Li said: that “China in recent years has stayed true to its commitment” and pointed out that his was one of the first countries to ratify the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Germany’s Angela Merkel, who in the past has been dubbed the “climate chancellor” for her efforts to fight global warming, said her country would “continue to fulfil our obligations under the Paris climate agreement as part of the European framework.”
Other European leaders issued more explicit appeals to the U.S. government not to abandon international measures against climate change.
“Please don’t change the (political) climate for the worse,” European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted.