Trump withdraws from climate pact, world leaders push back
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's supporters on Friday cast his decision to abandon the world's climate change pact as a "refreshing" stance for the U.S. that would save jobs and unburden industry.
In a fierce rejoinder from across the globe, leaders of other nations and scientists pointed to jobs that could be created in green technology and the edge China could be given as a result. China has overtaken the U.S. in transitioning to renewable energy, generating a fifth of its electricity from renewable sources. The U. S. only sources about 13 percent of its electricity from renewable energy.
In television interviews t h e morni n g a f t e r Trump's announcement, Vice President Mike Pence and Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House aide, defended Trump's decision as a reassertion of America's sovereignty. They both appeared on Fox News' "Fox & Friends."
Pence called Trump's decision "refreshing." The Paris deal "really put an extraordinary burden on the American economy while allowing some countries around the world like China and India to literally go a decade or more without any accountability for reducing C02 emissions," Pence said.
He said the deal would have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. "In a very real sense, it was a transfer of wealth from the most powerful economy in the world to other countries around the planet," Pence said.
Conway made similar remarks in an interview on Fox News, citing "fairness" to American workers and businesses.
White House talking points on the decision sent to Republican lawmakers Thursday and obtained by The Associated Press made similar arguments.
Scientists say Earth is likely to reach more dangerous levels of warming sooner as a result of the president's decision because America's pollution contributes so much to rising temperatures. Calculations suggest withdrawal from the Paris accord could result in emissions of up to 3 billion tons of additional carbon dioxide a year — enough to melt ice sheets faster, raise seas higher and trigger more extreme weather.
While Trump and Pence have suggested the possibility of renegotiating the agreement, the leaders of I t al y, Germany and France have said that won't happen. Germany's environment minister told reporters Friday "there will be no new deal with the United States" on climate change and predicted global climate will "s urvive" Trump's maximum presidential term of eight years.
Barbara Hendricks said other countries will fill the leadership void left by the United States but none will be expected to make up the shortfall in emissions reductions caused by Washington's exit.
A top European Union official said the EU and China believe Trump made a grievous error. Standing alongside Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, EU Council President Donald Tusk said Friday, "We are convinced that yesterday's decision by the United States to leave the Paris agreement is a big mistake."
Meanwhile, African nat i ons are protesting Trump's decision. South Africa's government calls the U.S. pullout "an abdication of global responsibility."
In announcing his decision, Trump said he was "elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris." By abandoning the world's chief effort to slow the tide of planetary warming, Trump was fulfilling a top campaign pledge after weeks of building up suspense over his decision.
The White House indicated it would follow the lengthy exit process outlined in the deal. That means the U.S. would remain in the agreement, at least formally, for another three-and-a-half years, ensuring the issue remains alive in the next presidential election.
However, Trump declared, emphasizing every word: "As of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the nonbinding Paris accord."
He is breaking from many o f America's staunchest allies, who have expressed alarm about the decision. Several of his top aides also opposed the action, including his daughter, Ivanka Trump.
Under former President Barack Obama, the U. S. had agreed under the accord to reduce polluting emissions by more than a quarter below 2005 levels by 2025. But the national targets are voluntary, leaving room for the U.S. and the nearly 200 other countries in the agreement to alter their commitments. But the national targets are voluntary, leaving room for the U.S. and the nearly 200 other countries in the agreement to alter their commitments.
At home, the U.S. Conference of Mayors strongly opposed the decision and said the nation's mayors will continue efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.