BrusselscTypeface:> President Donald Trump’s decision to direct the United States to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement is "a truly unfortunate development,” European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said on Tuesday.
"Despite this setback, we remain committed to working with the US and our international partners to address the pressing issue of climate change,” Hoekstra said.
On the day of his inauguration on Monday, Trump signed an executive order directing the US to withdraw from the Paris climate deal aimed at limiting global warming. Trump previously pulled out during his first term, but his successor, Joe Biden, reaffirmed US commitment to the deal.
The UN agreement provides for a notice period of one year.
Trump on Monday called the Paris agreement a "rip off” that hurts US businesses and consumers. He promised during his second term the United States will "drill, baby, drill” for fossil fuels. The aim of the Paris Agreement is to stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous disruption of the climate system.
"The science is crystal clear: every incremental increase in global temperatures will come with enormous costs, economically, socially but also in human lives,” the climate commissioner said. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed at the World Economic Forum in Davos that "the Paris Agreement continues to be the best hope for all humanity.” (DPA)