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U.S “could conceivably” reenter Paris Climate Agreement – Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump announces his decision regarding the United States’ participation in the Paris climate agreement in the Rose Garden at the White House June 1, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump pledged on the campaign trail to withdraw from the accord, which former President Barack Obama and the leaders of 194 other countries signed in 2015. The agreement is intended to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit global warming to a manageable level.
The U.S. can possibly reenter the Paris climate agreement, President Donald Trump said in a joint conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
“We could conceivably go back in,” Trump said.
“I feel very strongly about the environment… but we also want businesses that can compete.”
Trump said the Paris agreement was very unfair to the United States because it imposed penalties and took away many U.S. asset values.
Moreover, the agreement hurt US businesses overall and gave advantages to other countries such as China, Trump added.
The president emphasised that he is not going to let the Paris agreement deny the U.S. competitive edge.
The Paris agreement was created within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and has been ratified by 170 countries out of the 197 parties to the convention.
The agreement entered into force in November 2016.
It aims to keep the increase in average global temperature at below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In June, Trump announced his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris agreement, making the country the only one that has pulled out of the accord.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
