#ParisAgreement: We’ll always have Paris…

Leaders and business reacted to Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate deal. The US president repeated his claim that he was putting America first, saying that he was elected to “represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris”. While President Trump may not be the sharpest pencil in the box, we are nonetheless surprised that he has failed to grasp that the agreement was global and not focused on Paris’s 20 arrondissements, writes Catherine Feore.

Think globally, act locally

Let’s start with the premise that he is genuinely concerned about the citizens of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh voted 80% Democrat in last year’s presidential elections. Indeed, it is estimated that 65,000 people in Pennsylvania are employed in the renewable energy sector, more than coal, oil and gas combined.

Pittsburgh mayor, Bill Peduto, tweeted a Yale report showing that (I use Peduto's capitalization): “The MAJORITY of people in EVERY state in our country support participation in the Paris Agreement”

Interestingly the same study showed that even Trump supporters, when asked in November 2016, thought the US should participate in the agreement.

Support for the agreement has flooded in from mayors and governors from across the United States.

European Union

EU Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete reacted more in sorrow than in anger: "Today is a sad day for the global community, as a key partner turns its back on the fight against climate change. The EU deeply regrets the unilateral decision by the Trump administration to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement.”

In his announcement Trump said that he would renegotiate a better deal. Cañete’s statement makes is clear that flexibility was intrinsic to the agreement: “The Paris Agreement is fit for purpose. Paris is ambitious yet not prescriptive. The Paris Agreement allows each Party to forge its own path to contributing to the goals of preventing dangerous climate change. So there is room for the US to chart its own course within the Paris Agreement. 195 countries have signed the Paris Agreement, 195 different paths to meeting the Paris goals.”

Still, Cañete is in fighting spirit: “The Paris Agreement will endure. Europe and its strong partners all around the world are ready to lead the way. We will work together to face one of the most compelling challenges of our time. We will do it, together. We are on the right side of history." Or, as Victor Laszlo might say: “Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win.”

Today, Cañete is meeting with his Chinese counterparts for an Energy Dialogue focused on clean energy and the implementation of Paris.

Other European reactions weren’t quite so measured…

Former-president of the European Parliament and Social Democratic candidate in autumn’s German elections Martin Schulz took the gloves off.

You can withdraw from a climate agreement but not from climate change, Mr. Trump. Reality isn't just another statesman you shove away.

— Martin Schulz (@MartinSchulz) June 1, 2017

The statesman he is referring to is of course the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dusko Markovic, who Trump was caught pushing aside at the recent NATO summit.

France’s new president Emmanuel Macron, made an impassioned plea to “make our planet great again!”

Statement on the US' withdrawal from the Paris climate agreements. #parisagreementhttps://t.co/T4XOjWZW0Q

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 1, 2017

The president of the European Commission said in a speech yesterday that Paris was a legal commitment and that “the law is the law”. Juncker shot from the hip saying the US decision was contrary to what the world expects.

Deeply disappointed by #US decision, despite our efforts at #G7. Against what we stand for, contrary to what the world expects. #COP21

— Jean-Claude Juncker (@JunckerEU) June 2, 2017

BusinessEurope Director General Markus Beyrer said: "We regret President Trump's decision that marks a severe setback for the global efforts to protect our climate. Despite the US decision, moving backwards on climate protection is not an alternative. The EU should stay fully committed to implementing the Paris Agreement. The EU, which already has the world's most ambitious emission reduction effort, cannot shoulder what other major economies have committed to deliver. We therefore call on EU decision-makers to engage as soon as possible in a dialogue with the EU business community to assess the implications of the US decision."

Business in America echoed their commitment to the Paris agreement.

Share this article: