US left on its own as Syria joins Paris pact

GERMANY: Syria says it intends to join the 2015 Paris agreement for slowing climate change, leaving the United States as the only country opposed to the pact.

Syria, racked by civil war, and Nicaragua were the only two nations outside the 195-nation pact when it was agreed in 2015. Nicaragua’s left-wing government, which originally denounced the plan as too weak, signed up last month.

‘‘I would like to affirm the Syrian Arab Republic’s commitment to the Paris climate change accord,’’ Deputy Environment Minister Wadah Katmawi told a meeting of almost 200 nations at climate talks in Bonn, Germany yesterday.

Membership for Syria under President Bashar al-Assad would isolate the US, the world’s biggest economy and second-largest greenhouse gas emitter behind China, as the only nation opposed to the accord.

US President Donald Trump, who has expressed doubts that man-made greenhouse gas emissions are the prime cause of global warming, announced in June that he intended to pull out of the accord and instead promote the US coal and oil industries.

The United Nations welcomed Syria’s statement as a declaration of intent to adhere to the Paris pact. But it said Damascus had not yet filed any of the official documents to sign up.

‘‘Syria’s decision shows the breadth of support for the Paris agreement,’’ said Alden Meyer, of the Union of Concerned Scientists. He said businesses, mayors, cities and other groups were also stepping up actions to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Washington still has a seat at the table in Bonn because the rules mean a formal pullout can only take effect in 2020. Many delegates said they hoped Trump would reconsider.

The UN’s weather agency says this year is on track to be the second- or third-warmest since records began in the 19th century.

– Reuters