President Donald Trump seems to be favoring the exit of the United States from the Global Climate agreement. If the United States exits the deal, this will definitely offend their allies, who, over the years, have been negotiating the accord for the reduction in carbon emissions. There has been speculation for the last few days that Donald Trump would withdraw from the agreement, as one was not successfully reached during the G7 summit.
President Trump, on Wednesday morning, tweeted: “I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump presently is in favor of an exit, but after having internal and external counsel he might just change his decision at the last minute.
Division among top officials over climate agreement
President Trump is to meet with Chief strategist Steve Bannon who supports an exit from the accord, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who favors remaining with the agreement, on Wednesday afternoon. The accord has caused a split among top officials in the Trump administration.
President Barack Obama’s administration, along with nearly 200 nations. came to an agreement in 2015 to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This was agreed upon voluntarily in an effort to combat the issue of climate change. If the United States should withdraw from this agreement they would join Russia as one of the industrialized economies that have refused to tackle the issue of climate change.
This was one of the pledges made by president Trump during his campaign, that he would withdraw the U.S from the accord immediately once he took office. French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders have urged Trump to keep the U.S in the pact.
United Nations reacts to Trump's looming decision
The United Nations has reacted to President Trump’s looming decision to exit the accord. Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres was quoted via the official twitter page as saying “Climate change is undeniable. Climate change is unstoppable. Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable.”
A day after President Trump had a meeting with the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, speculation about his decision surfaced. Pruitt has also questioned climate scientists over the issue that the Earth is warming and that man-made climate emissions are to blame.
There has been no formal plan to withdraw from the accord by Trump, but this issue is being watched by many.