Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says he can’t comment on whether the U. S. should pull out of the landmark Paris climate accord because he hasn’t read it.
The Latest on President Donald Trump and the global climate agreement (all times local) :
8 p.m.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says he can’t comment on whether the U. S. should pull out of the landmark Paris climate agreement because he hasn’t read it.
Zinke was appearing at a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska with Sen. Lisa Murkowski when he was asked about President Donald Trump’s expected decision to leave the global effort to combat climate change.
Zinke told reporters that he has „yet to read what the actual Paris agreement is“ and „would like to sit down and read“ the 2015 accord before commenting. He says, „I’ve seen some different press releases back and forth, so before I make an opinion, I want to sit down and read it.“
He added that when he was a lawmaker, he „generally didn’t comment on bills before I read them.“
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7: 15 p.m.
A coalition of small island and low-lying countries says it would like to see the United States remain part of the Paris climate accord. But the Alliance of Small Island States says the endangered islands will seek other „genuine and durable partners“ if the U. S. withdraws.
Ahmed Sareer, the Maldives U. N. ambassador and chairman of the island group, told a press conference at U. N. headquarters that if President Donald Trump pulls out of the climate deal, alliance countries „will raise our voices as much as we can“ in a fight for survival against rising sea levels.
Seychelles U. N. Ambassador Ronald Jumeau said a U. S. pullout would be „a problem for all of us, “ adding that all countries are going to have to do more to combat climate change.
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6 p.m.
Sweden’s U. N. ambassador says a U. S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement would be „a disappointment to the rest of the world“ and would hurt American interests.
Olof Skoog, whose country is serving a two-year term on the U. N. Security Council, told reporters Wednesday that a U. S. pullout would also „fly in the fact of pleas from very friendly European nations.“
President Donald Trump said Wednesday his decision will be known „very soon, “ adding that he is „hearing from a lot of people both ways.“
Skoog says a withdrawal would damage U. S. „ambitions in other multilateral negotiations and their work in the United Nations.“
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4: 55 p.m.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says President Donald Trump doesn’t „comprehensively understand“ the terms of the Paris climate accord.
Juncker says European leaders tried to explain the process for withdrawing from the global agreement to Trump „in clear, simple sentences“ during meetings last week. Juncker’s comments came the same day a White House official said Trump was expected to pull out of the climate pact.
Juncker, who was among the leaders Trump met with last week, suggests the U. S. president thinks he can withdraw from the pact immediately, but notes that it takes several years to pull out of new international treaties. Juncker says, „This notion, ‚I am Trump, I am American, America first and I am getting out, ‚ that is not going to happen.“
Junker spoke Wednesday in Berlin.
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3: 30 p.m.
President Donald Trump says his plans for the Paris climate accord will be known „very soon.“
Trump was responding to questions from reporters about whether he plans to withdraw the U. S. from the landmark global agreement. Earlier Wednesday, a White House official said Trump was expected to pull out of the deal, but cautioned there could be „caveats.“
Trump says he’s „hearing from a lot of people both ways.“
European leaders pushed Trump to stay in the Paris pact during his recent overseas trip, and some of his advisers prefer the U. S. stays committed to the climate accord. However, others on Trump’s team are pushing him to withdraw, something he promised to do as a candidate.
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2: 50 p.m.
The executive director of the Sierra Club is calling the expected U. S. pullout from a global agreement on climate change a „historic mistake.“
Michael Brune says future generations will look with „stunned dismay at how a world leader could be so divorced from reality and morality.“
A White House official says President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw the United States from the agreement, but that there’s been no final decision. The official says Trump and his aides are looking at „caveats in the language“ related to the exit.
Nearly 200 nations, including the United States under President Barack Obama’s administration, agreed in 2015 to voluntarily reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to combat climate change.
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11: 15 a.m.
India and Spain on Wednesday expressed their commitment to fighting climate change and reiterated their support for implementing the Kyoto and Paris accords.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi (nah-REN‘-drah MOH‘-dee) and Spain’s Mariano Rajoy (mah-ree-AH‘-noh rah-HOY‘) made the comments in a joint statement following talks in Madrid. The statement follows speculation that President Donald Trump may soon announce U. S. withdrawal from the Paris international agreement of 2015 to reduce climate-warming carbon emissions.
On Tuesday, Modi said in Berlin that it would be a „crime“ to spoil the environment for future generations as the world awaits a decision on U. S. climate policy.
Rajoy and Modi agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in the field of combatting climate change.
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10: 50 a.m.
„A stunning abdication of American leadership and a grave threat to our planet’s future.“
That’s what the top House Democrat is calling President Donald Trump’s expected decision to pull the U. S. from a historic climate agreement.
California Rep. Nancy Pelosi says Trump is „denying scientific truths, removing safeguards that protect our health and our environment, protecting polluters and… threatening our national and global security.“
She says in a statement that the landmark accord „honors our collective moral responsibility to leave future generations with a planet that is clean, healthy and sustainable.“
Pelosi says most Americans — regardless of political affiliation — want clear, decisive action to arrest the effects of climate change.
She’s criticizing what she says are „destructive and short-sighted“ decisions by the Trump administration.
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10: 30 a.m.
Some northern European countries are criticizing the U. S. for its expected withdrawal from the Paris climate accords.
Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila (JOO‘-hah SEE‘-pah-lah) says climate change won’t be reversed „by closing your eyes.“ He calls the expected withdrawal „a big setback.“
In Denmark, climate minister Lars Christian Lilleholt said that „if true, this is a really, really bad signal from the United States.
