Trump pulls out of Paris climate deal
Dismayed European and Chinese leaders will meet in a bid to fill the void in the global push to fight climate change.
- Trump dumps deal
- Australia still in
- Elon Musk quits as adviser
- Trump’s history of climate scepticism
- Pittsburgh mayor begs to differ
Donald Trump has withdrawn from the Paris climate accord, recasting global efforts to seek a unified approach to combat global warning. Making his statement at the White House, Trump said he was “elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris”. Thank you for joining us for live coverage of of the global reaction.
Dismayed EU and Chinese leaders will meet at a Brussels summit overnight in a bid to fill a void in the global push to fight climate change left by the US pullout from the Paris pact.
In a potentially dramatic shift in diplomatic roles, the European Union now aims to join heavyweight China in trying to galvanise the world into implementing the landmark 2015 agreement - but minus the planet’s second biggest carbon polluter.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are vowing to forge ahead with the Paris agreement without the US when they meet.
HOW THE DAY UNFOLDED
Dennis Shanahan 12.15pm: Australia sticks with deal
Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed Australia will stay with the Paris agreement on climate change despite Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US.
The prime minister stood firmly by Australia’s commitments to cut greenhouse gases by 26 to 28 per cent and said President Trump’s action was not a surprise and had been a “core election promise”.
In Singapore Mr Turnbull bluntly denied some Liberal calls for Australia to change or reconsider the completed Finkel report into energy.
Mr Turnbull said he was committed to a practical and engineering response to climate change not an ideological one.
Rosie Lewis 12.10pm: Government MPs split
Trump’s decision has split the government, as a growing number of Coalition backbenchers demand Malcolm Turnbull and his leadership team reconsider Australia’s commitment to the 2015 pact.
While the Prime Minister and Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg have reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to the agreement, conservative MPs said it was unravelling now that the world’s biggest economy had pulled out.
“I think with America now out, China and India lukewarm at best, then what is the point of the Paris accord?” Liberal National Party senator Ian Macdonald told The Australian. Full story HERE.
11.30am: ‘An insane move by this president’
Three Democratic governors said they won’t let the US back away from the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris accord.
“This is an insane move by this president,” California Governor Jerry Brown said, blasting the decision as “deviant behavior from the highest office in the land.” Brown joined Governor Jay Inslee of Washington state and Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York to form the US Climate Alliance to uphold the Paris climate agreement.
The three states already belong to an emissions reduction pact of states and cities worldwide, but today’s action marked a direct stand against the Trump administration and a formal commitment to upholding the targets of the Paris agreement.
Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe also expressed interest in joining the new pact.
“We governors are going to step into this cockpit and fly the plane,” Inslee told reporters. “The President wants to ground it - we’re going to fly it.”
11.10am: Rudd tweets
And here’s Kevin Rudd, pointing out the new EU-China climate alliance we reported on earlier.
The world now looks to @EmmanuelMacron, Angela Merkel and Xi Jinping for global leadership on climate.Through action https://t.co/izReVR5Rhp
— Kevin Rudd (@MrKRudd) June 2, 2017
10.50am: Obama responds
In a rare statement on his successor’s policies, Barack Obama said: “Even in the absence of American leadership; even as this administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future, I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.”
10.30am: Historic mistake: Clinton
Hillary Clinton is calling Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the landmark Paris climate accord “a historic mistake.”
Trump’s Democratic rival in the 2016 US presidential election says in a tweet that “The world is moving forward together on climate change.” She says Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris accord “leaves American workers & families behind.”
Clinton has been increasingly vocal in her criticism of Trump as she ramps up her public appearances after several months of lying low following her bruising defeat.
A historic mistake. The world is moving forward together on climate change. Paris withdrawal leaves American workers & families behind.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 1, 2017
Numerous Democrats as well as world and business leaders are criticising Trump for abandoning the alliance of almost two hundred countries.
Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger is resigning from his position on a White House advisory council in response. Iger tweeted his decision, just a few hours after Elon Musk exited the council. Iger says it was a matter of principle.
As a Democrat who supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, Iger faced criticism for his participation in Trump’s advisory council, but he assured Disney shareholders that participation did not equal endorsement. Iger isn’t the only business leader weighing in on the president’s decision. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in a post that Trump’s decision is “bad for the environment, bad for the economy, and it puts our children’s future at risk.”
As a matter of principle, I've resigned from the President's Council over the #ParisAgreement withdrawal.
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) June 1, 2017
10am: EU, China forge new climate alliance
China and the European Union will announce a new joint commitment to combat global warming today, making a clear break from President Donald Trump after he withdrew the US from the Paris climate accord.
Mr Trump said today that the US would abandon the 195-nation Paris agreement - a move he argued would unshackle US industry, create jobs and cut the cost of living.
He said that he would immediately begin negotiations on a new deal. Speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House, he said: “So we’re getting out - but we’ll start negotiations and we’ll see if we can make a deal that’s fair. I can’t in good consciousness support a deal that punishes the United States.”
US Vice-President Mike Pence said Mr Trump was “putting the forgotten men and women of America first”.
Mr Trump’s fulfilment of a campaign pledge threatened to leave him isolated on the world stage.
Hours earlier, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the Paris agreement in a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. Mrs Merkel said: “I am pleased that other countries on earth see it like that as well.”
Mr Li is due in Brussels today, where China and the EU are expected to pledge to “significantly intensify political, technical, economic and scientific cooperation on climate change and clean energy.” They will say that rising temperatures increase “social and political fragility”.
In another shot at Mr Trump’s “economic nationalism”, they will pledge to “refrain from all forms of protectionism and uphold free and rules-based trade”.
The show of China-EU cooperation will heighten the sense that Mr Trump’s “America First” foreign policy risks rupturing the country’s international alliances. His failure to explicitly endorse the NATO commitment to joint defence rattled western allies at an alliance summit last week.
The Paris agreement was hailed by Barack Obama in 2015 as “a turning point for our planet”. Almost 200 countries, including Australia, agreed to limit emissions in an effort to contain climate change.
On the campaign trail Mr Trump promised to quit Paris, claiming that the accord would cost jobs. Conservative think tanks in Washington have argued that the pact would lead the US to suffer a $US2.5 trillion loss to GDP by 2035, and that average US households would be out of pocket by $US1000 a year.
A White House memo to supporters said: “The Paris Accord is a BAD deal for Americans, and the President’s action today is keeping his campaign promise to put American workers first. The Accord was negotiated poorly by the Obama administration and signed out of desperation.”
Critics said that Mr Trump’s promise to revive the coal industry could not be fulfilled. He was surrendering America’s leadership role on the world stage, they added - and China would step in.
Nigel Purvis, a US climate negotiator under Democratic president Bill Clinton, said: “Trump just handed the 21st century to China. It’s an opportunity for China to rebrand itself as the global leader, not just a major economy.”
Mr Trump went against the advice of his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, his chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn, his daughter, Ivanka, and the Pope. All had implored him to stick with the Paris agreement. Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple, had called the White House on Wednesday to urge the president to rethink. Supporters of the accord included the oil giants Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil and BP.
The withdrawal promised to worsen an already testy relationship with the EU. Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission chief, said on Wednesday that Mr Trump did not understand climate change. “We tried to explain this in clear, simple sentences to Mr Trump in Taormina [at the G7 in Italy], but it would appear that he did not understand,” he said. “Mr Trump does not get close enough to the dossiers to fully understand them.”
The Paris accord, drafted with the aim of keeping average global temperatures from rising by more than 2C above pre-industrial levels, is legally nonbinding. Individual signatories set their own targets.
In 2015 Mr Obama committed the US to reducing carbon dioxide emissions to at least 26 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025. The conservative Heritage Foundation think tank estimated that the deal would, by 2040, cost 200,000 US manufacturing jobs.
It also argued that China, the world’s largest polluter, regularly falsified emissions data. Mitch McConnell, the senior Republican in the Senate, and 21 of his party colleagues in the chamber wrote to Mr Trump last week urging him to pull out. Most of the senators who signed were from states tied to the coal, oil and gas industries.
Mr Trump was under pressure to deliver on his campaign promises. However, a survey by Yale University found that 69 per cent of voters, including 47 per cent of Mr Trump’s voters, said that the US should stick with the deal.
China overtook the US as the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in 2007 but ratified the agreement in September and urged the US to follow suit.
Rhys Blakely, Boer Deng, David Charter
The Times
9.55am: Macron: make our planet great again
New French President Emmanuel Macron made an English-language speech from the Elysee presidential palace, unprecedented from a French president in an address at home.
“I do respect this decision but I do think it is an actual mistake both for the US and for our planet,” he said. “Wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility: make our planet great again.”
9.30am: (Bill) Clinton tweets
Walking away from Paris treaty is a mistake. Climate change is real. We owe our children more. Protecting our future also creates more jobs.
— Bill Clinton (@billclinton) June 1, 2017
9.20am: Trump explained decision to leaders
The White House says Donald Trump spoke with the leaders of Germany, France, Canada and Britain to explain his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.
It says the US President thanked the leaders for holding “frank, substantive discussions” with him on the issue. He reassured them that the US is committed to the trans-Atlantic alliance and “robust efforts to protect the environment”, according to the White House readout of the call. Trump also vowed that the US will be “the cleanest and most environmentally friendly country on Earth” going forward.
The President met with all four leaders last week at the NATO and Group of 7 summits in Europe.
The leaders of France, Germany and Italy have said the Paris climate accord cannot be renegotiated as Trump has demanded.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said in a joint statement that they take note “with regret” the US decision to pull out of the 2015 agreement.
Emily Ritchie 9.10am: Lessons from pullout: Downer
Georgina Downer, the daughter of former foreign minister Alexander Downer and adjunct fellow at conservative thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs, believes Australia could learn from US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris agreement.
Ms Downer told ABC radio Mr Trump is prioritising jobs and the economy and that Australia should look to the US model as “the best answer for prosperity”.
“We shouldn’t be ideological about our energy sources, we should look at the example of the United States where they are prioritising jobs and a strong economy and take some heed, that that’s of course ultimately the best answer for the prosperity of our society,” said Ms Downer.
Ms Downer said the IPA was not surprised by the US withdrawal from the 2015 accord.
9.05am: A history of climate scepticism
Donald Trump’s tweets show how his doubts about climate change policy go back years, well before the election campaign. Read about it here: Trump’s long history of climate scepticism
The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012
8.50am: Ivanka absent
Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner did not attend President Donald Trump’s announcement that the US would exit the climate agreement.
A White House official said the couple attended service at synagogue for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Ivanka Trump went home to observe the holiday with her children, while Kushner walked to work and had a longstanding meeting scheduled at the same time as Trump’s remarks. The official said Kushner was involved with the president’s announcement.
Ivanka Trump had favored staying in the deal. Kushner thought the deal was bad but would have stayed in with adjusted emissions targets.
Meanwhile protesters have gathered outside the White House, objecting to the Paris pullout.
Emily Ritchie 8.40am: Wong: Very disappointing
The domestic debate on emission reductions policies has re-emerged in light of Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change.
Labor senator Penny Wong, who was climate minister during the failed UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in 2009, has expressed her disappointment in the US withdrawal and the reaction from Liberal MP Craig Kelly, who yesterday said he’d have the champagne on ice.
“It’s very disappointing to see members of the Coalition publicly advocating for Australia to get out of the Paris agreement,” Senator Wong told ABC radio. “It just continues the sort of division inside the Coalition that has been so apparent over so many years.
“The signing of the Paris accords by 195 countries was the most significant global step we have seen towards the action on climate change the world needs and that we need. It’s in Australia’s best interest so this is a very disappointing decision by the US.”
Senator Wong rejected Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg’s earlier statements about Australia having “reasonable and achievable” emissions reduction targets and sufficient policies in place to meet them.
Mr Frydenberg told ABC Radio: “Our target is a lot more achievable and reasonable than our political opponents and that is a real question for Australian voters - who do you trust to meet their targets but to do so in a way that is economically responsible and puts a premium on job creation and the affordability of electricity.”
Ms Wong said the Turnbull government has failed to articulate a clear and certain plan for the energy sector.
“If they can’t manage it now, why on earth does anybody think that they actually have a clear mechanism to meet the targets that they have articulated,” she said. “If he wants to talk about trust, let’s have a look at the state of the energy market now, where we have the sort of instability and price rises that we have seen - a direct consequence of the vacuum of leadership from this government.”
Ms Wong encouraged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to press members of the US administration, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who is coming here next week for the annual AUSMIN security talks, to encourage them to reconsider the decision.
“The PM should be absolutely clear with the US administration about Australia’s views, he should continue to press them to reconsider this decision, he should continue to press them for constructive US leadership on this point,” she said.
Ms Wong said it was encouraging that China was reaffirming its commitment to the Paris agreement overnight.
“But in terms of global leadership, any agreement needs the United States as it needs China, because effective action on climate change needs the major emitters,” she said. “It is disappointing that on this occasion US leadership on climate change is taking action in the wrong direction.”
8.05am: Withdrawal will take years
The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump can’t get the US out of the climate deal until 2020.
It’s only the beginning of a multiyear process for extricating the US, reports the WSJ’s William Mauldin. Here’s how the withdrawal is likely to unfold, if Trump follows through on his plan:
- According to the Paris agreement, countries can only exit three years after the effective date of the deal. That was November 4, 2016, 30 days after a sufficient number of countries ratified the deal, which was reached in Paris in December 2015.
- The Paris climate accord was reached as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, which took effect in 1994 and includes 197 countries, including the US. The convention was ratified by the US. Senate in 1992 under former president George H.W. Bush. If Mr Trump had taken the “nuclear option” and withdrawn from the UNFCCC, he could have taken the US out of the Paris agreement in a year.
- Starting in November 2019, Mr. Trump could send a written request to exit the Paris accord. The backers of the deal built in a delay in part to allow a global shift in climate politics to dissuade governments from exiting. The US President could also change his mind by late 2019, just as the 2020 presidential campaign heats up.
- After the UNFCCC receives Mr Trump’s request, the US will be out of the Paris agreement after one year, or as early as November 2020.
- The real result of Mr Trump’s move would only be apparent in 2025, when the targets of the Paris agreement become effective. The non-binding US target was to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 26 per cent to 28 per cent below 2005 levels. US emissions in 2025 will depend on what Mr. Trump and other officials and courts do with domestic regulations governing coal power plants and vehicle efficiency.
- Environmental groups say the Paris agreement was designed to be durable, and a future US administration could get Washington back into the pact, assuming the US stays in the underlying UNFCCC.
- Mr Trump said the US could renegotiate the Paris agreement or enter under new terms. But experts say such a process would be difficult, since nearly all nations agreed on the deal in 2015, and leading economies have said they would continue with the original deal if the US leaves.
— The Wall Street Journal
7.50am: UN: A major disappointment
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement “a major disappointment.” He says through a spokesman it’s “crucial that the United States remains a leader on environmental issues”.
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief believes the transformation envisioned in the accord is already under way. Dujarric says the secretary-general is confident that cities, states and businesses around the world “will continue to demonstrate vision and leadership by working for the low-carbon, resilient economic growth that will create quality jobs and markets for 21st century prosperity.” He said the Secretary-General “looks forward to engaging with the American government and all actors in the United States and around the world to build the sustainable future on which our grandchildren depend.”
Democratic former vice-president Joe Biden is joining in a chorus of Democrats opposed to Trump’s decision. Biden says on Twitter: “We’re already feeling impacts of climate change.” He says that exiting the agreement “imperils US security and our ability to own the clean energy future.” Biden as vice-president supported former president Barack Obama’s efforts to take part in the Paris accord and fight the effects of climate change.
Under Obama, the US had agreed under the accord to reduce polluting emissions by about 1.6 billion tonnes by 2025. But the targets were voluntary, meaning the US and the nearly 200 other nations in the agreement could alter their commitments.
We're already feeling impacts of climate change. Exiting #ParisAgreement imperils US security and our ability to own the clean energy future
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 1, 2017
7.40am: Reaction
More reaction, including from UK Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn:
Pulling out of the #ParisClimateDeal is reckless and regressive. Instead of handholding, I'll work for a sustainable future for our planet. pic.twitter.com/ONKUMZQmzm
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 1, 2017
The Weather Channel makes its feelings known:
Bit of an explainer:
#UPDATE President Trump announces US withdrawal from Paris climate deal https://t.co/fVNXEo5AL9 pic.twitter.com/TwbKGvO8lL
— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 1, 2017
Emily Ritchie 7.30am: ‘We are great friends’
Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to the Paris agreement to tackle climate change in light of US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw.
“We reiterate Australia’s commitment to the Paris agreement,” Mr Frydenberg told ABC Radio this morning. “We believe the targets we set and agreed to of a 26 to 28 per cent reduction in our emissions by 2030 on 2005 levels are reasonable, are achievable, and we will continue to follow through on that important international agreement which we signed and we ratified just a day after President Trump was elected.”
He said the move by Mr Trump wasn’t a surprise, calling it “one of the most telegraphed policy positions” in recent times.
Mr Frydenberg said he was disappointed by the US withdrawal but is optimistic that many other countries are this morning reaffirming their commitment to the Paris accord.
“Even without the US it still represents some 70 per cent of the world’s emissions,” he said.
Mr Frydenberg said he was sure this move will not disrupt the relationship between Australia and the US.
“We are great friends, strategic allies of the United States, we do differ from time to time on policy issues but we have maintained our commitment to Paris and will continue to meet that target,” he said.
He said the transformation towards greater energy efficiency and emissions reduction was well underway on home soil.
“We are seeing a major transformation in the Australian economy and the Turnbull government is encouraging that, at the same time putting a great emphasis on energy security, energy affordability and maintaining jobs and our international competitiveness.”
7.20am: No new deal: European leaders
The leaders of France, Germany and Italy say the Paris climate accord cannot be renegotiated as President Donald Trump has demanded.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said in a joint statement that they take note “with regret” the US decision to pull out of the 2015 agreement.
The three leaders say they regard the accord as “a cornerstone in the cooperation between our countries, for effectively and timely tackling climate change.” They added that the course charted by the accord is “irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris Agreement cannot be renegotiated.”
Macron, Merkel and Gentiloni say they remain committed to the deal and will “step up efforts” to support the poorest and most threatened nations.
Meanwhile Microsoft president Brad Smith tweeted that the company is “disappointed”, while retail giant Amazon says it also still supports the climate agreement, and that clean-energy policies are good for American jobs and innovation.
7.15am: Australia’s still in
Australia remains committed to the historic Paris climate change agreement despite Donald Trump withdrawing the United States.
Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg spoke to Malcolm Turnbull - who is in Singapore - following the announcement, with the pair confirming they still think Australia’s targets are achievable.
“Donald Trump’s announcement today is obviously very significant but Australia will carry on because as our prime minister has made very clear, when we sign up to international agreements ...we will follow through,” Mr Frydenberg told ABC TV.
The agreement, signed in the French capital at the end of 2015, is still very meaningful, he insisted.
More than 190 countries signed onto the deal, with 146 proceeding to ratify the agreement.
“Even without the US, around 70 per cent of the world’s emissions are covered by that agreement,” he said.
But Mr Frydenberg did acknowledge it was clearly preferable to have the US at the table.
He admitted climate change is a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef and said that’s why Australia, like so many other countries, are participating in global efforts to tackle the issue.
Australia ratified the deal the day after Mr Trump was elected in November. In making his announcement outside the White House, the president did say he was willing to make a new deal but only one that was “fair” for the country. He suggested the existing agreement was “about other countries gaining an advantage over the United States”.
A spokesman for the UN secretary-general said Mr Trump’s decision to withdraw the US was a major disappointment for global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote global security.
7.05am: Merkel regrets, Republicans happy
Official reaction is coming in fast.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she regrets President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord. Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said on Twitter that Merkel would continue to put all efforts into climate policy “to save our Earth.”
Social Democratic members of Merkel’s Cabinet issued a separate joint statement saying “the United States is harming itself, us Europeans and all other people in the world.” The ministers, including Germany’s top diplomat Sigmar Gabriel, said Trump’s move threatened economic growth and technical progress.
They called the decision “a political error, because it calls the international reliability of treaties into question.” The ministers said they would “keep the door open” for the U.S. to rejoin the Paris accord again.
Meanwhile congressional Republicans are applauding the US move, but Democrats are slamming the decision. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Trump has “put families and jobs ahead of left-wing ideology and should be commended.” House Speaker Paul Ryan says that “the Paris climate agreement was simply a raw deal for America.”
But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York says the move is “a devastating failure of historic proportions” - and “one of the worst policy moves made in the 21st century.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California says it’s “a stunning abdication of American leadership and a grave threat to our planet’s future.”
Republican Energy Secretary Rick Perry. a former presidential hopeful, says it means the US “will no longer be bound by an agreement unilaterally entered into by the Obama administration.” Perry is a former Texas governor. He says that instead of preaching about clean energy, the Trump administration will act on it.
Perry adds: “Our work and deeds are more important than empty words. I know you can drive economic growth and protect the environment at the same time, because that is exactly what I did as governor of Texas.” Perry is on a nine-day trip to Japan and China. He said from Tokyo that the U.S. will continue to develop “next generation technology” in energy, including nuclear energy, liquefied natural gas and renewables such as wind and solar power
7am: Pittsburgh begs to differ
Despite Trump saying he was “elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris”, the Mayor of Pittsburgh has a different view, saying the city will “follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement”.
As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future. https://t.co/3znXGTcd8C
— bill peduto (@billpeduto) June 1, 2017
6.40am: ’Sad day for globe’
The European Union’s top climate change official says President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris accord makes it “a sad day for the global community.”
The EU’s climate action commissioner, Miguel Arias Canete said in a statement that the bloc “deeply regrets the unilateral decision by the Trump administration.” Canete says the 2015 accord is “ambitious yet not prescriptive.” He says the agreement will endure, and he pledged that “the world can continue to count on Europe for global leadership.” Canete also predicted that the EU would seek new alliances from the world’s largest economies to the most vulnerable island states, as well as U.S. businesses and individuals supportive of the accord.
He added: “We are on the right side of history.”
6.30am: Gore: Reckless and indefensible
Former Democratic vice-president Al Gore is calling the decision to exit the Paris agreement “a reckless and indefensible action”. Gore says the move “undermines America’s standing in the world.”
He released the statement as President Donald Trump was speaking at the White House Rose Garden. The former Clinton vice-president has defined his postgovernment life as a climate champion. He urges mayors, governors and the business community to take up where Trump is leaving off, especially by focusing on clean energy.
Gore says: “We are in the middle of a clean energy revolution that no single person or group can stop. President Trump’s decision is profoundly in conflict with what the majority of Americans want from our president.”
Meanwhile the US Conference of Mayors says it strongly opposes Trump’s decision and vows that the nation’s mayors will continue efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. The mayors said in a statement that the US and other nations need to address climate change to become energy independent, self-reliant and resilient.
6.20am: Musk quits
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who previously threatened that he would quit as business adviser to Trump if the US pulled out, has followed through on Twitter:
Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2017
Cameron Stewart 6.15am: Trump pulls put of Paris deal
Donald Trump has withdrawn from the Paris climate accord, recasting global efforts to seek a unified approach to combat global warning.
“In order to fulfill my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens, the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord,” Mr Trump said in a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House. “The Paris accord is very unfair to the US.”
But he said the withdrawal may only be temporary because the US would seek to negotiate a re-entry to the pact or negotiate a new deal “on terms that are fair to US interests”.
“We are getting out but we will will start to negotiate and see if we can make a deal that’s fair,” he said.
He said the Paris accord “hamstrings the United States while empowering some of the world top polluting countries”.
“The agreement is a massive redistribution of United States wealth to other countries.”
Mr Trump claimed the decision would put America first by freeing up the US economy, creating jobs and economic opportunity.
He said that to stay in the Paris accord would cost an estimated 2.7 million US jobs by 2025 including 440,000 few manufacturing jobs.
“I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,” he said, saying the withdrawal amounted to “an assertion of America’s sovereignty”.
Vice-President Mike Pence also spoke briefly, saying “our President is chosen to put the forgotten men and women of America first”.
The decision confirms the worst fears of many US allies who have agreed to the Paris accord and who fear the decision will undermine the determination of other nations to meet their agree targets.
The President had sought to keep people guessing about his final decision in recent days. He suggested as recently as yesterday that he had not made up his mind, despite White House leaks stating that he had decided to withdraw.
The decision means Mr Trump has delivered a core promise to his supporters after pledging to withdraw from the Paris accord on the campaign trail last year, saying it was an imposition for American businesses and jobs.
The pledge helped Mr Trump to win several fossil-fuel heavy, rust-belt states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, which proved pivotal in his election triumph.
The decision means that the US - which accounts for 18 per cent of the world’s emissions each year, second only to China - will take no part in the global pact to meet emissions targets by 2025.
The decision split the White House and is seen as a major victory for the so-called nationalists in the administration who pushed for the withdrawal. These were led by chief strategist Steve Bannon and Environmental Protection Agency head and climate change sceptic Scott Pruitt.
This group persuaded the President despite opposition from Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, who argued that the US should remain in the treaty.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also argued to remain in the pact believing that the US could better influence the climate change debate from within rather than as an outsider.
Almost 200 nations signed the 2015 pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with only Syria and Nicaragua dealing to join.
The threat of US withdrawal in recent days has resulted in recommitments to the climate pact by many nations, with China, Russia and the EU stating that they would continue to abide by the agreement.
The Paris agreement would have required the US to reduced emissions by between 26 and 28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2025.
However that result was unlikely to have been achieved even if the US stayed in the pact. Mr Trump has already signed several orders to wind back environmental red tape and plans to scrap Barack Obama’s Clean Power Act, which required utilities to curb emissions or face penalties.
Additional reporting: AP
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