TRUMP DUMPS CLIMATE TREATY
President: Pittsburgh before Paris
DONALD Trump is withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change, placing the United States at odds with almost every country on Earth.
World leaders, heads of business and global warming activists warned the President not to make a “serious mistake”.
But he defied their fears and followed through with his pledge to put “America First”.
Mr Trump said: “We’re getting out.
“We will start to renegotiate and we will see if there’s a better deal.
“If we can, great. If we can’t, that’s fine. As someone who cares deeply about our environment, I cannot support a deal which punishes the United States.
“I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris. The accord is very unfair to the United States.”
But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Mr Trump’s decision was “a devastating failure of historic proportions”. He added: “Generations will look back on the decision as one of the worst policy moves in the 21st century.” The move means the US is only the third nation, alongside Syria and Nicaragua, to no longer commit to the 2015 accord. Mr Trump had made withdrawing a central part of his presidential campaign. He argued the agreement harms the US economy, hinders jobs and would cost the US economy trillions of dollars without tangible benefit. The pact is designed to limit global warming to below 2C. America is the second largest emitter of CO2 behind China. Mr Trump can initiate a formal withdrawal policy, which could take up to three years, or he can withdraw entirely from the UN climate change body, which would be faster. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker claimed: “The Americans can’t just leave.”