U. N. ambassador says the president recognizes pollution contributes to climate change, despite his decision to withdraw the U. S. from the Paris accord
President Trump “believes the climate is changing, and he believes pollutants are part of that equation, ” U. N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Saturday in an interview with Face the Nation, just two days after Mr. Trump announced he would withdraw the United States from a global pact aimed at curbing the effects of man-made climate change.
Mr. Trump said Thursday that the U. S. would immediately “cease all implementation” of the non-binding Paris climate accord, citing the “draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country.”
The agreement was reached in 2015 when the U. S. and 194 other nations agreed to reduce carbon emissions. Mr. Trump’s announcement this week made the U. S. one of only three countries in the world not signed onto the accord.
Despite his decision, Haley said, the president is “absolutely intent on making sure that we have clean air, clean water, that he makes sure that we’re doing everything we can to keep America’s moral compass in the world when it comes to the environment.”
“We’ve done that in the past. We’ll do it in the future, ” she said. “It’s what the U. S. does. It’s what we’ll continue to do, ”
“That seems to be a difference from what the president has said, ” Dickerson replied, noting that Mr. Trump once called climate change a hoax. “So you’re saying that’s not true, he believes in man-made climate change?”
“The president believes the climate is changing, ” Haley repeated, “And he does know that pollutants are a part of that equation.”
Dickerson pressed once more, asking if the president believes human activity causes the pollutants that lead to climate change.
“I mean, John, I just gave you the answer, ” Haley said. “I mean, that’s what he believes. And so that’s as clear as I know to give it. You know, we can all weigh this out. But at the end of the day, watch what the president does. What he is doing is making sure that we have jobs for American citizens but also making sure that we have a clean environment.”
Tune in Sunday for more of Dickerson’s interview with U. N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Check your local listings for airtimes.
