Theresa May has insisted the UK is committed to the Paris Agreement on climate change as she faced criticism over her response to US withdrawal from the deal.
Scotsman 2nd June 2017 read more »
Nigel Lawson: Decarbonisation is a miserable fantasy which hurts the planet and makes us all poorer. Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement has dealt a hammer blow to an elite consensus which has built up around the issue of climate change. That consensus has placed cutting carbon dioxide emissions above people’s jobs and protecting the environment. With US industry already enjoying a substantial competitive advantage over European firms, this decision will make European climate policies all the more unsustainable. If Britain is to keep up with the rest of the world, it is essential that the next government rethinks energy policy to prioritise competitiveness and affordability.
Telegraph 2nd June 2017 read more »
President Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord is rewriting the global order, forcing Europe into closer relations with China at the expense of the transatlantic alliance, Jean-Claude Juncker warned yesterday. The European Commission president lamented America’s latest retreat from postwar western alliances as he announced a new and unlikely partnership with communist China.
Times 3rd June 2017 read more »
A coalition of American cities and states, led by the economic powerhouse of California, have vowed to resist President Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord. The United States Climate Alliance also includes dozens of US businesses and banks, including Goldman Sachs, which fear being excluded from a green energy revolution that will yield contracts worth billions. As many as 30 states have already pledged to wean themselves off fossil fuels. The Democratic governors of Washington, New York and California plan to negotiate with the United Nations to be recognised as parties to the 195-nation pact — a highly unusual effort that underscored how Mr Trump’s decision has split the US. The three states, which together account for about a fifth of US economic output, said they would stick by the commitment Barack Obama made under the Paris deal in 2015 to reduce emissions by at least 26 per cent from 2005 levels.
Times 3rd June 2017 read more »
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he will personally make up the $15m in funding that the United Nations will lose after Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Paris climate accord. The US would have been required to contribute that amount towards efforts to prevent catastrophic climate change under the historic agreement between 195 countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.“Americans are not walking away from the Paris climate agreement,” Mr Bloomberg said on Thursday, according to the Washington Examiner. “Just the opposite – we are forging ahead. Mayors, governors, and business leaders from both political parties are signing on to a statement of support that we will submit to the UN and together, we will reach the emission reduction goals the United States made in Paris in 2015. The billionaire philanthropist added: “Americans will honour and fulfil the Paris agreement by leading from the bottom up — and there isn’t anything Washington can do to stop us.”
Independent 2nd June 2017 read more »
With or without President Donald Trump, the United States will work to address climate change. Not because of the Paris agreement, which is nonbinding. Not because backing out would earn the ire of the other 194 countries that have signed on to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. will work to address climate change because it cares about environmental health and economic stability. American cities have already spent billions of dollars on climate action and have committed themselves to environmental goals that go beyond the Paris agreement commitments. Thirty-five major cities have already set emissions reductions goals of 80 percent or more below 2005 levels, a World Wildlife Fund report found, and 62 cities were on track, as of 2015, to meet or exceed the federal target established in the Paris agreement. As of March, 25 cities have committed to moving toward getting 100 percent of their energy from renewable sources. Most recently, the largely Republican town of Abita Springs, Louisiana, made the commitment. “Transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy is a practical decision we’re making for our environment, our economy, and for what our constituents want in Abita Springs,” Mayor Greg Lemons said in a statement. “Politics has nothing to do with it for me. Clean energy just makes good economic sense.”
Yes Magazine 1st June 2017 read more »
China and Europe pledged on Friday to unite to save what German Chancellor Angela Merkel called “our Mother Earth”, standing firmly against President Donald Trump’s decision to take the United States out of the Paris climate change pact.Trump’s move was “a big mistake”, said Donald Tusk, one of the European Union’s top officials.
Reuters 2nd June 2017 read more »
Global reactions.
Carbon Brief 2nd June 2017 read more »
The European Union has rejected Donald Trump’s offer to renegotiate the Paris climate agreement and pledged instead to bypass Washington to work with US business leaders and state governors to implement the historic accord’s commitments. Less than 24 hours after the US president announced his decision to withdraw from the 2015 agreement and strike a new, less ambitious deal with the rest of the world, Brussels declared its outright refusal to engage in such talks. EU officials will instead cut out the White House to deal directly with the US states and major corporations, many of whom have already pledged to live by the terms forged in Paris. In Britain, Theresa May faced criticism for not signing up to a joint declaration by Germany, France and Italy in opposition to the US move. A Downing Street source defended the prime minister, pointing out that other countries including Japan and Canada had not signed up to the letter either.
Guardian 2nd June 2017 read more »
Captains of industry, corporations and business groups distanced themselves from the White House as many expressed frustration with President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord. The reactions from across the business world – including oil producers, the tech sector and finance – stood apart from Mr Trump’s portrayal of the decision as a needed corrective to rules that could stymie commerce. Tesla founder Elon Musk confirmed he would quit White House advisory councils on business in protest.
Telegraph 2nd June 2017 read more »