Gore: US to meet Paris climate accords despite Trump

World Economic Forum summit in New York is pushing sustainability agenda

NEW YORK: The US will meet its commitments to the Paris climate agreement with or without the support of the Trump administration, former Vice President Al Gore told a summit in New York.

“The US will meet its obligations under the Paris accords regardless of what the executive branch says or does,” he said on Monday.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has wavered in its threat to pull out of the Paris accord in recent days, with some White House officials hinting that America would remain in the deal but seek less stringent requirements of US businesses.

“Whether that happens or not, US states and cities and businesses and industries are moving forward. The projections now indicate that the United States will meet the commitments made at Paris whether it is affirmed by the federal government or not,” Gore said.

He was speaking as business leaders, policymakers and representatives of civil society came together in New York under the auspices of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to push the agenda for sustainability and economic development.

The WEF event — the Sustainable Development Impact Summit — is discussing issues ranging from climate change to human capital, and launching initiatives to tackle specific areas of concern.

One of the first initiatives is a plan to “end the human toll and pollution” behind smartphone and electric car battery manufacture via a “global battery alliance” to improve conditions in the multibillion-dollar industry. ranked relatively low In the indices for sustainable development, but governments in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have given it high priority in the economic development strategies policymakers have recently launched.

At an event last week in New York, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Saudi ambassador to the UN, drew similarities between the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy and the UN’s own 2030 agenda for sustainable development.