US: Trump will put America first on climate
FAIRBANKS, United States: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the governments and peoples of the Arctic that President Donald Trump will put America first when it comes to climate change.
Representatives from the eight nations with territory in the great white north and the indigenous peoples who make their homes there had come to Alaska looking for reassurance.
Trump campaigned for office warning that he may pull the United States out of the 2015 Paris accord and he has already launched a review of Washington’s policy towards climate change.
The Arctic countries have borne the brunt of global warming so far, with glaciers and sea ice in retreat and threats to both the wildlife and the native peoples’s way of life.
Tillerson told the meeting of the Arctic Council in Fairbanks, Alaska that the region’s views would be taken into account, but that Washington’s policy will be based on US interests.
“In the United States, we are currently reviewing several important policies, including how the Trump administration will approach the issue of climate change,” Tillerson said.
“We are appreciative that each of you has an important point of view, and you should know that we are taking the time to understand your concerns,” he promised.
“We’re not going to rush to make a decision. We’re going to work to make the right decision for the United States.” The Fairbanks meeting of the Council came after the White House said this week that Trump will not decide on climate change policy until after a trip to Europe later this month.
Hanging in the balance is the future of the Paris accord, which campaigners, experts and most governments see as the last best hope of slowing global warming. But many of Trump’s advisers – along with energy industry lobbyists – argue the accord puts the brakes on oil and coal- driven industries and hurts jobs growth. — AFP