President Trump has decided to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord according to Axios.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the decision leaked the information today, with details on how the withdrawal will be executed being worked out by a small team including EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.
A full, formal withdrawal could take up to three years, with the other option being to exit the underlying United Nations Treaty, which would be faster but more extreme.
Given Donald Trumps record, we certainly can’t rule this out.
Mr Trump’s administration was strongly critical of the Paris accord on the campaign trail, but he has delayed in making a decision in office.
His team has been debating the issue, with some including Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state and former chief executive of ExxonMobil, making the case for remaining in the accord but others including Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, arguing for withdrawal, the Financial Times has reported.
Angela Merkel hinted that recent talks between G7 nations had not been successful, saying: “The times when we could completely rely on others are, to an extent, over.”
The UN secretary-general recently urged President Donald Trump to keep the US in the Paris climate agreement, warning that withdrawal could undermine US national security and the economy.
António Guterres said in a speech in New York that the UN had been engaging with Mr Trump’s administration in an attempt to persuade officials that it was in America’s interests to stay in the pact.
“When you disagree with someone, you try to convince that person. It’s the same with administrations,” he said. “We believe that it will be important for the US not to leave the Paris agreement.”
