Azernews.Az

By Kamila Aliyeva

President Donald Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement signed in 2015, which was assessed by many as the U.S. refusal from the world leadership in solving the largest problem facing the humanity.

The U.S. will pursue a "better deal," Trump said in the White House Rose Garden on June 1, adding that cutting greenhouse gas emissions is too costly for American companies. Fulfillment of obligations under the Paris Agreement would cost the U.S. 2.7 million jobs by 2025, according to Trump.

Trump claimed "the nations asking us to stay in the agreement are the same nations that cost America trillions of dollars through unfair trade agreements, and the same that do not contribute to military alliances.

He informed that Washington will commence negotiations on a new agreement on terms that are more fair and beneficial for the United States.

The U.S. is the world’s second-largest emitter of carbon, behind only China – which, along with India, was singled out by Trump as being favored under the Paris agreement. But both Beijing and New Delhi have reaffirmed their commitment to meeting their targets.

China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang announced that his country will continue to work with the EU and other countries to uphold the deal.

The decision sets the world's largest economy apart from almost all other nations on Earth, and moves in opposition to many large American companies, as well.

In a joint statement, the leaders of France, Germany and Italy responded to Trump’s decision “with regret”.

Climate change negatively affects national security, as well as social and political stability, while the transition to "clean" energy creates new jobs and contributes to economic growth, reads the joint statement.

“We are firmly convinced that the agreement cannot be renegotiated,” they added, referring to Trump's announcement that Washington was open to negotiating a new agreement.

President Trump also lost the support of a top billionaire business leader.

Founder of Tesla Elon Musk announced that he is "departing presidential councils," something he had vowed to do if Trump took this step. Musk wrote in Twitter: "Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world."

In May, ahead of the G7 summit, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Donald Trump not to abandon the Paris Climate Agreement. The support of the United States, the largest economy in the world, is vital for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, said Guterres.

The Paris climate deal was signed in 2015 by 194 countries and ratified by 143. The agreement aims at keeping the increase in average global temperature at below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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