Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Reports indicate that the Trump administration will today announce its intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris agreement to combat climate change. Over 190 countries have signed the Paris agreement, and this decision would make the U.S. the only country to turn its back on its global commitments to tackle the climate crisis.
Brandon Wu, ActionAid USA’s Director of Policy and Campaigns, said: “Millions of people around the world are already forced to live with a climate crisis they didn’t cause. By taking this step, the Trump administration continues to put its fingers in its ears and turn its back on the rest of the world.
“Under the terms of the Paris agreement, the U.S. withdrawal will likely not take effect until November 4, 2020 – ironically just after the next presidential election. This means Trump’s corporate cronies will remain at the table in the climate negotiations, doing everything they can to obstruct progress. All countries should see this U.S. administration for what it is – a mouthpiece for some of the world’s dirtiest industries – and must resist all further attempts by Trump to undermine progress in the fight against climate change.
“Trump has already shown his intention to dismantle all aspects of U.S. climate action at home. In many ways, this is an even worse threat to our society than withdrawal from the Paris agreement. In order to avoid the worst effects of climate change, the world needs the U.S. to drastically cut emissions and step forward with the money needed to support countries around the world to adapt to climate impacts. The Trump administration may not want to accept this reality, but the majority of Americans know that urgent climate action is needed and want the U.S. to do its fair share when it comes to global climate action.”
ENDS