Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, said his city won’t “back down” if the White House walks away from the Paris climate accord.
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That’s what Trump says in a tweet, and he adds: “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” “Pulling the nation out of this pact would only further cement in the minds of Americans and others around the globe that the president has no sense of moral responsibility to protect future generations from the ravages of climate change”.
According to reports, the president plans to withdraw from the global agreement, which could take up to three years.
The finance minister also says Canada will continue to work towards its commitments but did not directly answer when asked if our businesses would be at a competitive disadvantage if U.S. companies don’t have to play by the same climate rules.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency Scott Pruitt has overtly advocated quitting a deal he judges “bad” for America. Meanwhile, Trump tweeted he would announce his decision regarding the agreement “over the next few days”.
Economists also warn that climate change could inflict a devastating impact on the global economy.
That’s good news, climate scientists said, but likely due to China’s economic slowdown, which reduced coal use, as much as it is to efforts to limit emissions.
European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said of a US pullout: “It would be disappointing but I really do not think this would change the course of mankind”.
The Paris Climate Agreement is a pact between 195 nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
The move, if confirmed, comes despite the urging of European leaders at the G-7 summit last week in meetings with Trump not to abandon the accord.
Some northern European countries are criticizing the US for its expected withdrawal from the Paris climate accords. Climate action is unstoppable.
The agreement has been criticised as far too cautious to hold back the rise in temperatures by more than a fraction of what is needed – but its defenders say its enrolment of nearly all the world’s governments makes it crucial.
The market reaction reflects concerns, raised by some coal companies in recent months, that a US exit from the Paris Climate Agreement could unleash a global backlash against coal interests outside the United States.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer, asked on Tuesday whether Trump believes human activity is contributing to climate change, told reporters, “Honestly, I haven’t asked him that”. The organization’s main Twitter page quoted Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as saying, “Climate change is undeniable”.
Everyone cautioned that no decision was final until Trump announced it.
Bush acknowledged global warming as a problem, but preferred for the free market to fight climate change as opposed to relying on artificial government commitments.
The possibility Mr Trump – who has previously described climate change as a hoax by the Chinese – could pull out within days was labelled disastrous and as putting the U.S. on “the wrong side of history” in some quarters. “Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable”.
It has not been determined whether the USA would fully withdraw from the accord over the course of three years or pull out of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
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Chief strategist Steve Bannon supports an exit, while senior adviser Jared Kushner generally thinks the deal is bad, but would like to find a way to see if the US emissions targets can be changed.
