US decision on Paris pact today

DAMNING EVERYONE? Withdrawal will not unravel accord but can weaken global efforts to fight climate change

US president Donald Trump has said he will announce his decision on the Paris Accord on Thursday, ending a guessing game he had triggered weeks ago all over the world with a declaration to his supporters at a rally commemorating 100 days in office. But he did not give any indication which way he will go.

“I will be announcing my decision on Paris Accord, Thursday at 3:00 P.M. The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the president tweeted on Wednesday, hours after daylong speculation about his decision.

Trump is widely expected to pull the US out of the Paris Accord that conservatives have hated dogmatically.

But he is known to change his mind at the last minute.

Axios news media outlet on Wednesday reported Trump was quitting the accord and environment protection agency administrator Scott Pruitt and his team were working on the modalities of the withdrawal.

They were looking at two options: pull out of the Paris Accord, a process that could take three years to complete, or exit the UN treaty behind agreement — the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change — which might be a lot quicker.

Leaving the G-7 summit last week, where he had come under pressure to stay, Trump had said he would announce his “final decision” in the coming days. But there was no official confirmation or denial of the reports, except his tweet.

Trump, a global warming sceptic, has been critical of the accord, saying it would be harmful for America’s manufacturing and that other nations such as India, China and Russia