World waits as U.S. weighs Paris fate
Trump poised to make decision on climate pact as his own camp split
WASHINGTON — Indications from White House officials that President Donald Trump was heading toward pulling the U.S. out of the Paris accord on climate change set off a worldwide reaction Wednesday, continuing the public drama around a decision that has been agonized and untidy even by the standards of a White House known for palace intrigue.
The day began with officials telling news organizations that Trump had settled on pulling out of the climate agreement, generating a reaction in which people around the world jumped in to try to influence or spin his decision, from European leaders to the coal industry.
The day offered a foretaste of the reaction Trump likely will receive if he does follow through on his vow to pull the United States out of the 195-nation pact, which President Barack Obama hailed in 2015 as one of his major achievements.
Already, other nations have moved to take over the leadership role on climate that the U.S. would be abandoning. Some states have followed suit, promising they would break with Washington to work with other countries in their efforts to contain global warming.
“It cannot stand; it’s not right,” California Gov. Jerry Brown said of the potential Trump move away from the agreement.
All the public lobbying moved Trump to weigh in himself. In a Twitter message, he knocked down the early reports that he had already decided to withdraw. Later, he told reporters at a White House event that he would make a decision “very soon.”
“I’m hearing from a lot of people, both ways. Both ways,” he said.
Later Wednesday, Trump tweeted that he would make his decision known from the White House Rose Garden on Thursday.
White House officials were scrambling to map out options this week. One possibility, backed by Trump’s most conservative advisers, would be to fully withdraw from the agreement.
Another option would be to keep the U.S. involved, but have Trump announce that he will cut back the U.S. commitment to take action against climate change. The latter option is favored by some advisers, who say it would maintain a U.S. seat in worldwide climate talks while still allowing Trump to declare he has kept his promise to scrap the deal.
The debate over the Paris agreement has split Trump’s administration.
Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt and White House strategist Steve Bannon have advocated withdrawing, arguing that if the U.S. remains part of the accord, environmental groups might be able to use it to shield Obama administration policies on global warming that the current administration opposes. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump have argued for staying with the agreement in some fashion.
On Trump’s trip to Europe last week, he was heavily lobbied by allied leaders to keep the U.S. part of the accord.
If Trump does withdraw the U.S. fully from the Paris pact, scientists warn it will be a significant setback to the worldwide effort to prevent temperatures from rising by more than an average of 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. The consequences for the U.S. would extend beyond global warming.
“There will be consequential blowback with respect to our diplomatic position across the board,” said Todd Stern, the lead U.S. climate negotiator during the Obama administration.
The European Union and China moved quickly to signal that they will persist in the climate fight, regardless of what the United States does. They are expected to reaffirm their commitment to the Paris agreement at a meeting Friday in Brussels among EU Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President JeanClaude Juncker and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
The prime ministers of Spain and India have announced they are unwavering in their commitment. And European diplomats are raising the prospect that climate-related trade sanctions against the U.S. could be on the horizon.
U.S. companies anxious about the prospect of withdrawal have been warning Trump against it. Most large firms, including big oil and gas companies Trump says would get a boost from withdrawal, have encouraged the president to stay in the pact.
Democrats and environmentalists warned that an exit from Paris would be reckless and ultimately hurt the country. Some noted that no other country has said it would join the U.S. in withdrawing or reducing its commitment. Only two nations, Nicaragua and Syria, have declined to join the Paris agreement.
“Breaking our commitment to the Paris climate agreement will leave our country isolated and illprepared for the challenges we face,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a statement.
The process of fully leaving the agreement could take several years. It would not be until October of 2020, near the end of Trump’s current term, that the United States could fully withdraw under the terms of the deal.