President Trump: America to Withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement Because It Is Unfair

Donald Trump, President of the United States, announced America’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement. Mr. Trump announced this decision moments earlier in the Rose Garden of the White House, saying: This agreement is unfair because it restricts America but gives polluting countries like China more than ten years to comply.

The climate change agreement was signed in 2015 among 195 countries in Paris. The Barack Obama administration signed it on behalf of the United States. At that time, all countries except Nicaragua and Syria signed the agreement.

However, the American president has been critical of it since his presidential campaign, saying the agreement eliminates many jobs in America.

Mr. Trump said in his remarks at the White House on Thursday evening, June 12: “America will withdraw from the Paris agreement but will continue negotiations for a better deal in this regard.”

The White House previously said in a statement: “The Paris agreement is a bad deal for Americans, and today’s action by the president fulfills his campaign promise to prioritize American workers.” The White House statement also said: “The Obama administration negotiated poorly on this agreement and signed it reluctantly.”

Mr. Trump said America’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement would benefit American oil and coal industries.

Reactions from Opponents After President Trump’s Announcement

Opponents of this decision say that withdrawing from the Paris agreement means abdicating America’s leadership in addressing this international challenge.

In the first reactions to President Trump’s announcement, Barack Obama, the former American president during whose tenure the climate agreement was signed, said that by withdrawing from the Paris agreement, Trump refused to “accept the future.” Mr. Obama said in his statement that he believes American states, cities, and businesses will continue on the path and protect our children and our planet.

The mayor of Pittsburgh, who was mentioned in Mr. Trump’s speech, was among those who opposed Mr. Trump’s remarks. Trump had said in his remarks that I represent Pittsburgh, not Paris.

Bill Peduto, mayor of Pittsburgh, tweeted that Pittsburgh will remain committed to the climate agreement for its people.

On the other hand, while President Trump spoke of renegotiating the Paris agreement, the leaders of France, Germany, and Italy declared in a joint statement that the Paris agreement is not open to renegotiation.

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, tweeted: “Let us make our planet great again,” which was a reference to President Trump’s campaign slogan of returning greatness to America.

The Washington Post says Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Ivanka Trump, Mr. Trump’s daughter and advisor, urged him to remain in the agreement, saying that being part of negotiations would be a tool of influence for America.

Steve Bannon, Mr. Trump’s senior strategic advisor, and Scott Pruitt, head of the American Environmental Protection Agency, had called for America’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement.

Previously, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, asked Trump not to withdraw from the agreement. He said that America’s support as the world’s largest economy for the Paris agreement is vital.

Mr. Trump in his election campaign called the Paris climate agreement a job killer in America and promised to withdraw from it. He said: “I will take historic steps to remove restrictions on American energy and end government interference in this sector and repeal regulations that destroy jobs.”

Opponents and Supporters

It is expected that the decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement will be welcomed by Republicans supporting Donald Trump and will provoke the anger of environmental advocates and America’s allies.

Some mayors of major American cities have said in opposition to the decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement that they will remain committed to it.

The mayor of Los Angeles tweeted that he will implement this agreement. The mayor of New York has also written that he will issue an executive order requiring his city to comply with the agreement.

The head of the Sierra environmental organization wrote in an email to Voice of America that withdrawing from the agreement would be a mistake that our descendants will ask how a global leader could have been so far removed from facts and morality.

Leaders of the European Union, who met with President Trump at the G-7 summit last week, have announced their opposition to the decision to withdraw from the agreement.

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, said European leaders tried to explain the complexity of withdrawing from the agreement to President Trump: “Europe must make clear to America that withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement will not be an easy process and full withdrawal from it will take many years.”

A group of twenty-two Republican senators asked Donald Trump in a letter to withdraw from the agreement because remaining in it would have many legal consequences for America.

The American Freedom Alliance said in a statement that complying with the agreement would be costly for America and could result in the loss of approximately four hundred thousand jobs and losses exceeding two trillion dollars.

One analyst at the Heritage Foundation says that withdrawing from the Paris agreement is very easy for President Trump, who has dismissed global warming as unrealistic.

Source: Voice of America