Climate plan decision ‘appalling’

TORONTO — Ontario’s premier is joining a growing number of politicians condemning Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate change agreement.

Kathleen Wynne says the U.S. president’s rejection of the 190-country agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is appalling and shows he is abandoning his responsibility to fight the biggest threat currently confronting the world.

Wynne’s criticism on Friday comes after the federal environment minister called Trump’s decision disappointing and suggested Trump was costing the U.S. a key opportunity to profit from the inevitable worldwide growth of clean-tech initiatives.

Wynne says co-operation between subnational governments has become even more important after Trump’s announcement, and she pledged to continue to work with other leaders, particularly U.S. governors, to combat climate change.

Ontario’s Liberal government launched a cap-and-trade program this year, which puts caps on the amount of pollution companies in certain industries can emit and allows polluters to buy allowances at auction or from other companies that come in under their limits.

Ontario is expected to join the QuebecCalifornia carbon market next year.

“It’s really appalling to me that the president of the United States would abdicate his responsibility in the face of the greatest threat confronting humanity,” Wynne said Friday, at an event in Barrie, Ont. “The reality is the whole world needs to be involved in fighting climate change.”

Ontario’s four-year climate change action plan is funded by cap-and-trade revenues of between $5.9 billion and $8.3 billion, which will go to green initiatives such as social housing retrofits, an electric vehicle incentive program and public transit.