TRUMP DUMPS PARIS DEAL?
US PRESIDENT PULLING OUT OF CLIMATE PACT: US MEDIA
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, according to multiple news reports citing unidentified White House officials.
But Trump gave no indications of the same, tweeting: “I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Axios news outlet was on Wednesday the first to report that Trump was pulling the US out of the accord, citing unidentified officials. According to the outlet, environment protection agency administrator Scott Pruitt and his team were working on the withdrawal details.
Pruitt and his team have two options: pull out of the Paris Accord — a process that could take three years to complete — or exit the UN treaty behind the agreement — the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change — which might be a lot quicker.
At the G-7 summit last week, Trump had said he would announce his “final decision” in the coming days. But there was no official confirmation or denial of the reports, except his tweet.
Trump, a global warming sceptic, has been critical of the accord saying it would be harmful for America’s manufacturing and that other nations such as India, China and Russia were not doing enough for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.