Dismay as US quits climate pact

PARIS AGREEMENT US decision to formally begin process of leaving climate accord triggers worldwide regret, concern

WASHINGTON: The US notified the United Nations on Monday of its withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, launching the formal process that will culminate in its exit exactly a year from now.

The US can rejoin the agreement should American President Donald Trump change his mind, or if he is replaced by any of the Democrats running against him in 2020 election.

They all support the accord, the signing of which in 2016 was spearheaded by former US president Barack Obama.

“We will continue to work with our global partners to enhance resilience to the impact of climate change and prepare for and respond to natural disasters,” US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a statement in which he announced the start of the formal withdrawal process.

The US will be out of the accord on November 4, 2020, after a mandatory yearlong waiting period as per the rules. It will become the only country to leave the deal that was signed by 196 countries and the European Union.

Trump had announced his decision to pull the US out of the deal in June 2017, arguing that it had placed an “unfair” economic burden on America.

SCIENTISTS CALL FOR STRONGER PARIS DEAL

WASHINGTON:THE vast majority of national commitments in the 2015 Paris Agreement are inadequate to prevent the worst effects of global warming, scientists said on Tuesday.

“Governments are moving in the right direction, but nowhere near enough,” said Robert Watson,

lead author of a report compiled by the non-profit Universal Ecological Fund.

RUSSIA: US DECISION UNDERMINES PACT

MOSCOW: RUSSIA has criticised the US move. The US pullout “undermines this agreement in the most serious way, because it is the leading country in terms of emissions,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

CHINA VOICES ‘REGRET’ OVER US PULLOUT

BEIJING: Beijing expressed “regret” over Washington’s decision. “We hope the US can take more responsibility, and do more to contribute a driving force to the multilateral cooperation process, instead of adding negative energy,” said foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.