US refuses to sign G7 countries’ pledge calling Paris climate accord ‘irreversible’
On June 1, Donald Trump had announced the US’ exit from the UN climate accord, saying his country was ‘getting out of an unfair deal’.
The United States has refused to sign a pledge by the Group of Seven major industrialised economies, that calls the Paris climate accord an “irreversible” global tool to address climate change, an Associated Press report said on Monday.
In the first meeting of the G7 since President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the climate pact, the group’s environment ministers issued a final communiqué. In the footnote to the communiqué, the United States said it would not join the six other countries in supporting their Paris commitments.
A US statement said it did not sign statements by its G7 colleagues from multilateral development banks, “reflecting our recent announcement to withdraw and immediately cease implementation of the Paris Agreement and associated financial commitments,” reported Reuters. “The United States will continue to engage with key international partners in a manner that is consistent with our domestic priorities, preserving both a strong economy and a healthy environment.”
On June 1, Donald Trump had announced the US’ exit from the climate accord, stating that his country was “getting out of an unfair deal”. He had also targeted India and China in particular over the pact. “India makes its participation contingent on receiving billions and billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid from developed countries,” Trump had alleged. He also said that under the agreement, China will be able to increase emissions by 13 years, which was unacceptable to his administration.