03 June, 2017
While the withdrawal process will take years to unfold - the earliest the United States can extricate itself is in November 2020 - Trump's plan immediately drew condemnation from European allies and the captains of American industry. His predecessor, Barack Obama, expressed regret over the pullout from a deal he was instrumental in brokering.
A Maori climate change campaigner says New Zealand can't take the high moral ground over the United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement because of its own poor record.
Former White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest said, "Americans don't like being isolated from the worldwide community".
Calling the Paris Agreement "hamstrings" the United States while "empowers" other countries, Trump said the United States would begin negotiations to re-enter the agreement.
U.S. allies voiced dismay over Trump's move, and France, Germany and Italy dismissed his suggestion that the global pact could be revised.
Huang concluded that the government would be prepared to face any measures or developments regarding climate change as made by other nations or worldwide organizations.
Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas told The Associated Press that the Paris accord "was, and still is a very important goal to achieve".
The headline on the Xinhua web site was "US quitting Paris climate deal leaves world shaking its head" while the Global Times, a bellwether for popular opinion in China, said leaving the accord highlighted the US's "selfishness and irresponsibility", which would seriously damage the US's world leadership. "The president has indicated that there is going to be continued discussion and engagement around a deal that works for this country", said EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt.
Abandoning the pact would isolate the US from a raft of worldwide allies who spent years negotiating the 2015 agreement to fight global warming and pollution by reducing carbon emissions.
The Paris Climate Agreement was negotiated by representatives of 195 countries in Paris and went into effect on November 4, 2016.
Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, said Friday China's adherence to the Paris Accord is a "responsibility shouldered by China as a responsible major country". "While the president's actions are a shameful rebuke to the work needed to protect our planet for our children and grandchildren, states have been and will continue to step up".
"Please don't change the (political) climate for the worse", European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted. In this moment, America turns its back on the world, joining Syria and Nicaragua as the only none-compliant nations.
While traveling overseas last week, Trump was repeatedly pressed to stay in the deal by European leaders and Pope Francis.
