In a statement on June 1, French President Emmanuel Macron used President Trump's own rhetoric to communicate the importance of the Paris Climate Agreement. During the impassioned speech, Macron called Trump's move to break from the Paris Agreement "an actual mistake." He later made a veiled jab at the US President, saying, "Make our planet great again."
Macron emphasized the vitality of international legislation to combat #climatechange, pointing out that without significant change, the world's children will inherit a global catastrophe. These comments reflect the overall disappointment Europe has had with the United States since Trump took office, aligning nicely with German Prime Minister Angel Merkel's own call for Europeans to take care of their own fate.
Macron's full speech can be seen by clicking on the Tweet below.
Statement on the US' withdrawal from the Paris climate agreements. #parisagreementhttps://t.co/T4XOjWZW0Q
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 1, 2017
What does this mean for Franco-US relations?
Though Macron seems disappointed with Trump, that does not mean he is disappointed with the United States as a whole. Macron addressed the United States itself, stating, "To the US, France believes in you." Despite efforts to spread negativity by both the left and the right, Macron took a positive attitude toward the situation. All is not lost, it seems.
Even if the United States is not involved, the Paris Climate Agreement can lead to many positive advancements toward cleaner, greener living across the globe.
It is even possible that the larger countries will push to re-include the United States in the deal, and with good graces on either side of the table, Franco-US relations can improve. Macron's belief in the country indicates an openness on France's end. It just remains to be seen if relations will improve during or after President Trump.
Making the planet great again
Donald Trump has a view of the planet all his own, but that's not stopping Macron and other leaders from pursuing what they believe to be true. Macron said: "We will succeed because we are fully committed." No matter the setbacks, no matter the difficulty, success will come and must come." Macron advocates the former; that kind of positivity is what will lead to success across the globe with the climate change issue.
In a world full of alarming attacks, disasters, and the like, tenaciousness and positivity in the leaders of the world will be the driving force that will truly make the planet great again. As Macron points out, we're all in this together.
