Uncertainty over US decision

PRESIDENT TRUMP STILL TO DECIDE ON CLIMATE CHANGE PARTICIPATION

Signs are mounting that US President Donald Trump’s administration may stay in the landmark Paris climate change accord of 2015, under pressure from big business and public support for the agreement.

But experts say the final decision, expected next month, is anything but certain and staying at the table could come with significant caveats, like a weakening of US commitments to curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Given the unpredictability of decision-making by this administration, I am very reluctant to predict,” said Elliot Diringer, executive vice-president of the Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions.

“But there seems to be a growing convergence around a strategy of staying in the Paris Agreement but lowering the US target.”

On Wednesday, 13 major international businesses, ranging from energy to pharmaceuticals to retail, urged Trump to adhere to the Paris accord.

“US business interests are best-served by a stable and practical framework facilitating an effective and balanced global response,” said the letter signed by BP, Walmart, Google and others.

“We believe the Paris Agreement provides such a framework.”

Speaking at a conference on Wednesday, environmental activist Al Gore said there is a “better than a 50-50 chance” Trump will honour the Paris deal.

“That agreement sent a powerful message ... and has already begun to accelerate the sustainability revolution,” he said.

But some in Trump’s inner circle want Trump to keep his promise to cancel the deal.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Scott Pruitt is also said to be pushing for a US exit.

The United States agreed at the Paris talks to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 26-28% by 2025, compared to 2005 levels.

Under the agreement, signatories undertake to limit global warming to “well below” 2ºC over pre-industrial levels.

The White House has said the decision will be announced before the G7 summit in Italy on May 26 and 27. – AFP