Trump says Paris gave a better deal to India & China

The world leaders and countries would no longer laugh at the United States, declared Donald Trump at the White House while announcing on Thursday his much-anticipated pull-out from the Paris Climate Agreement. He was elected to represent Pittsburg, not Paris, he added.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the United States by his predecessor Barack Obama and Trump had pledged during his election campaign for the Presidency to pull out of the agreement, which he believed placed an unacceptable burden on the US.

In New Delhi, the Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) criticised the announcement, pointing out that while the US had just 5% of the global population and had been the biggest polluter during the last 100 years, contributing even now 15% of the greenhouse emissions, its irresponsible decision now threatened the lives of the remaining 95%.

Obama was quick to condemn the announcement, which he described as ‘rejection of the future’. Canada reacted by saying it was greatly disappointed while British Prime Minister Theresa May called up the White House to stress that the agreement was necessary for future generations. Germany, France and Italy, in a joint statement, rebuffed Trump and declared that there was no question of any re-negotiation on the terms of the agreement. China and the European Union are expected to issue a joint statement on Friday, reiterating their commitment to reduce global warming.

Trump, again predictably, claimed that the agreement would have made the US lose $3 trillion in lost GDP and 6.5 million American jobs. On a bizarre note, he spoke of placing reliance on fossil fuel and announced that a new coal mine was opening in Pennsylvania, which, critics were quick to point out, would create exactly 70 new jobs.

In his typically rambling speech, Trump sent out a confusing signal when he said that the United States would begin ‘re-negotiation’ to either rejoin the Paris Agreement or for a new deal on more favourable terms to the US. Ironically, as per the framework of the Paris Agreement, no country can leave before three years and, while the US can immediately stop attending meetings and also stop paying to the ‘Green Fund’, technically it will remain part of the group till November, 2020, till days after the next Presidential election.

The immediate impact of the pullout will be on the ‘Green Fund’ to which the US had pledged three billion dollars. It has already paid a billion dollars and appears unlikely now to pay the rest. The fund was meant for richer countries to contribute and help poorer countries to make the transition to cleaner fuel.

The Paris Climate Agreement, to be reviewed every five years, sets up a framework of oversight and accountability which allow countries to set their own targets of reducing the greenhouse effect and transit to cleaner fuel. The non-binding, 31-page agreement, seeks to limit the rise of average global temperature to two degree centigrade.

A planet getting hotter every year has given rise to heat waves, more frequent droughts, hurricanes and storms, besides the rising seas that threaten low-lying areas. Global warming, scientist believe, will threaten the food chain and even cause extinction to different species.