WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement on Monday, once again placing the world’s top historic emitter of greenhouse gases outside of the global pact aimed at pushing nations to tackle climate change.
Here are some reactions to the announcement of the second U.S. withdrawal from the climate pact:
SIMON STIELL, U.N. CLIMATE CHANGE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
“Embracing (the global clean energy boom) will mean massive profits, millions of manufacturing jobs and clean air. Ignoring it only sends all that vast wealth to competitor economies, while climate disasters like droughts, wildfires and superstorms keep getting worse, destroying property and businesses, hitting nation-wide food production, and driving economy-wide price inflation.
“The door remains open to the Paris Agreement, and we welcome constructive engagement from any and all countries.”
WOPKE HOEKSTRA, EU CLIMATE COMMISSIONER
“It’s a truly unfortunate development that the world’s largest economy, and one of our closest allies in the fight against climate change, is withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.
“Despite this setback, we remain committed to working with the U.S. and our international partners to address the pressing issue of climate change… The Paris Agreement has strong foundations and is here to stay.”
ALI MOHAMED, CHAIR OF THE AFRICA GROUP IN U.N. CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS AND KENYA’S CLIMATE ENVOY
“The leadership of the United States is critical in mobilising climate finance, advancing clean energy transitions, and ensuring the equitable implementation of global climate goals. Equally important is the need to promote multilateralism as the foundation for addressing climate change and other global challenges.”
EVANS NJEWA, CHAIR OF THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES GROUP IN U.N. CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS
“We deeply regret U.S.A. plans to exit from the Paris Agreement. This threatens to reverse hard-won gains in reducing emissions & puts our vulnerable countries at greater risk. The Paris Agreement remains a vital climate pact & we must protect it for the future of our planet & generation.”
NEW YORK GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL AND NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM, CO-CHAIRS OF THE U.S. CLIMATE ALLIANCE
“Our states and territories continue to have broad authority under the U.S. Constitution to protect our progress and advance the climate solutions we need. This does not change with a shift in federal administration … It’s critical for the international community to know that climate action will continue in the U.S. The Alliance will bring this message to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil (COP30) later this year.”
ANI DASGUPTA, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE
“It simply makes no sense for the United States to voluntarily give up political influence and pass up opportunities to shape the exploding green energy market. Sitting on the sidelines also means the United States will have fewer levers to hold other major economies accountable for living up to their commitments.”
LAURENCE TUBIANA, CEO OF THE EUROPEAN CLIMATE FOUNDATION AND A KEY ARCHITECT OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT
“The context today is very different to 2017. There is unstoppable economic momentum behind the global transition, which the U.S. has gained from and led, but now risks forfeiting.”
ABBY MAXMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF OXFAM AMERICA
“The U.S. should be leading the fight for a livable planet – not only because of its responsibility as the largest historical polluter, but because ignoring the problem at our doorstep will harm people living in the United States, who have recently suffered severe damage from climate-driven disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires and will face even more in the years ahead.”
This post is originally published on INVESTING.
