After his meeting with world leaders at the G7 Summit in Sicily and visiting Pope Francis at the Vatican this week, Donald Trump announced that he is delaying his decision regarding the Paris climate agreement. In a tweet posted Saturday, the US president said he will finally make the decision next week.
Paris agreement
The Paris accord is a pact that covers the terms regarding the ongoing issue of climate which was agreed upon by 195 countries all over the world. The agreement was reached in December of 2015 after decades of crafting, deliberating, and stalling.
These countries agreed to consider #climate change as the single most important crisis that needs to be addressed through a collaborative effort. The main objective of the Paris agreement is to decrease greenhouse gas emissions with the hope of keeping global temperatures from increasing by two degrees Celsius by the end of this period.
But, despite the mutual agreement, this pact is voluntary, which means it does not require any country to monitor its emissions. This also means that these countries won't be held accountable if they fail to do their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
US on Paris accord
Trump pledged to cancel the agreement during his campaign. But after winning the presidential election, the POTUS had to reconsider his previous statement after two White House groups argued over the matter.
His daughter, Ivanka, voted to stay, along with Jared Kushner, Rick Perry, and Rex Tillerson.
Scott Pruitt, on the other hand, insisted that the US should withdraw from the Paris accord. His argument was supported by Steve Bannon, and Jeff Sessions. They insisted that Trump would only disappoint his supporters if he reversed his initial decision regarding the agreement.
Meanwhile, Ivanka said that this administration could face legal charges from activists if they refuse to participate in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Trump, however, previously said that the Paris agreement is "one-sided," stating that his nation could lose "billions of dollars," while other countries "have contributed and will contribute nothing." The US president specifically mentioned China, India, and Russia during one of his rallies.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel candidly said Trump has left no indication of whether or not the US would stay in the Paris accord. Several climate change groups also slammed the POTUS for his indecision.
