EU concerned about risk of US withdrawal from Paris climate agreement
Photo: Donald Trump, 47th President of the United States of America (Getty Images)
The transition team of the 47th US President Donald Trump is preparing an executive order to withdraw the country from the global climate agreement, which could deal a blow to global efforts to combat climate change, Reuters reports.
The United States is the second largest polluter in the world after China.
The Paris Agreement, in turn, is the centerpiece of the United Nations (UN) climate negotiations, which raise the issue of reducing emissions and financing efforts.
The European Union (EU) has warned that the US withdrawal from the agreement could be a significant blow to the fight against climate change.
Meanwhile, Wopke Hoekstra, the Dutch climate commissioner, said that the EU will try to cooperate with the new US administration on climate issues.
“Making sure that our American friends, as much as is possible, are actually staying on board and are working on this together with us, is clearly something I will strive for,” he added.
The United States joined the Paris Agreement in 2015 during the presidency of Barack Obama. Already in 2020, Trump, who was then head of the White House, announced his withdrawal from the agreement.
A year later, after Joe Biden came to power, the United States rejoined the agreement.
Trump may choose Chris Wright, who denies the global climate crisis, to head the Department of Energy.
