UN chief asks US to re-engage in 2015 Paris climate accord

new york— The UN chief on Saturday urged the United States to re-engage with the 2015 Paris climate agreement even after America submitted its formal communication indicating its intention to withdraw from the historic pact as soon as possible.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has received a notification from the United States expressing the country’s intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, his spokesman said.

The notification received on Friday was communicated by United States Permanent Representative to the UN Nikki Haley.

“The Secretary-General received, in his capacity as Depositary of the Paris Agreement, a communication from the Permanent Representative of the United States expressing the intention of the United States to exercise its right to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, as soon as it is eligible to do so under the Agreement, unless it identifies suitable terms for reengagement,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The Paris climate deal aims to prevent the Earth from heating up by 2°C since the start of the industrial age.

The spokesperson added that the secretary-general “welcomes any effort to reengage in the Paris

It is crucial that the united States remains a leader on climate and sustainable development. Climate change is impacting now Stephane Dujarric , spokesman for UN cheif Antonio Guterres

Agreement by the United States”.

The notification came two months after President Donald Trump announced his intention to leave the accord.

In a statement, the State Department said the United States will continue to participate in international meetings and negotiations on current and future climate change deals.

The next meeting is in Bonn, Germany, in November.

Trump is “open to re-engaging in the Paris Agreement if the United States can identify terms that are more favorable to it, its business, its workers, its people and its taxpayers,” the department said.

Under the agreement, countries set their own national plans for cutting climate emissions. That means Trump can come up with different targets for the United States than those set by President Barack Obama.

But Trump can’t unilaterally change the text of the Paris deal. Under article 28 of the Paris Agreement, a party may withdraw at any time after three years from the date on which the agreement has entered into force for that party, and such withdrawal takes effect upon expiry of one year from the date of receipt by the depositary of the notification of withdrawal. — PTI, AP