03 June, 2017
Juncker referred to a World Bank report placing China 78th of 190 countries in terms of the ease of doing business.
"I am also convinced that the United States Government will eventually re-join our struggle because the scientific evidence of man-made climate change is well understood", he said. "They already have the largest share of the world's wealth, and here we are just trying to survive". China has pledged to slash carbon emissions by almost half from the 2005 level by 2020.
It added: "China is not interested in discussions about the leadership of fighting climate change". No one is dying from CO2 "air pollution", or from rivers and streams polluted with carbon dioxide. The official echoed: "Can we stay on topic please?" - implying that Trump's views on the causes of climate change were irrelevant to the Paris decision.
Before Trump announced his decision, Li called combating climate change an "international responsibility" that was a point of consensus around the globe.
"As of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris Accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country", he said.
France, Germany and Italy have mooted the idea of allowing the EU to block Chinese investment in Europe, partly because European companies are denied similar access in China and because of risks of China acquiring prized European technology.
The threat that climate change poses to global trade was also reiterated in the letter, with President Trump's lone-wolf attitude criticised for putting the country's economy at risk - especially with regard to supply chains, agriculture and water supplies.
"These droughts are becoming more frequent and more intense".
"The world is moving forward together on climate change".
Another reference to India came when he said that the country was being allowed to build coal plants as part of the deal, while USA was not.
While most environmentalists agree that carbon emissions from India and China will increase, economists say the developing state of the two nations should be factored in while offering concessions.
However they hope the fight against climate change will continue without American leadership. "The US had an analogous meeting around the same time and the room was empty ... people were voting with their feet".
During Obama's tenure, the United States had agreed under the accord to reduce emissions by more than a quarter below 2005 levels by 2025. Gore called Trump last month to try to persuade him to stick with the Paris agreement.
"We have a duty to generations to come to leave the planet in a condition that is fit for all life and not riven with starvation, refugee crises, water shortages and war". "We don't want other leaders and other countries laughing at us anymore". It was fairer and more flexible than previous attempts to strike a global climate deal, with particular sensitivity to USA concerns that emissions limits not be imposed on any country.
Former Obama aide David Axelrod said "in backing off of climate pact", Trump "is locking arms with Syria and Nicaragua and matching confidently into the past".
It is galling to recall that the USA signed the Paris Agreement just 13 months ago, a momentous occasion which has been undone through one man's selfish belief that the United States economy - and the pursuit of maximum commercial gain, apparently at any cost - is more important than the future of the planet.
