This story will be updated as news becomes available.
Reports are currently swirling that US President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from Paris Climate Agreement after many long months of speculation.
However, while some news outlets have all but confirmed the news, others are suggesting that the President has not yet made up his mind.
The past few hours have been interesting ones, especially if you stay connected to Twitter as much as I do. Together, the AP and Axios both published brief scoops from separate sources which said that US President Donald Trump has made up his mind and decided to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Axios is quoting “two sources with direct knowledge of the decision” while the AP is quoting a White House official. As such, the internet has subsequently gone up in flames.
However, Phillip Rucker, the White House Bureau Chief at The Washington Post has said that his own sources are saying the President has yet to make a final decision.
Headlines are outpacing POTUS (once again). I’m told Trump hasn’t made a final decision on Paris as of this AM & has climate meetings today.
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) May 31, 2017
As of writing, the President took to Twitter as well, suggesting that the announcement was incoming over the next few days.
I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017
Of course, speculation has been mounting for months regarding whether Donald Trump would decide to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accords. Rumours and speculation have given credence to both sides of the question, and in the last couple of months alone the leaks and information from within the Administration has only heightened these rumours.
In April it was reported that people close to the President — including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, globalist Gary Cohn, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson — were all advising Trump to remain in the Paris accords. Jared and Ivanka, or Jivanka, have long made it known that they intend to wield their apparently-significant influence to sway the President and to remain in the Agreement, but as time has gone on, their influence seems not to be what they thought it was. Additionally, recent reports have also suggested that the President’s own influence over Jivanka has begun to shift their views on the matter.
Earlier this month, it appeared that the tables had turned, with Steve Bannon and new EPA head Scott Pruitt seeming to have gained the upper hand in convincing the President that it was time to withdraw the United States from the Agreement. Apparently, as of early May, the sticking point was the following provision in the Paris Agreement, Article 4, section 11 (PDF):
“A Party may at any time adjust its existing nationally determined contribution with a view to enhancing its level of ambition, in accordance with guidance adopted by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to this Agreement.”
The question being debated is whether America can “adjust” it’s contribution downward as well as the obviously implied upward, without violating the terms of the agreement overall.
During the mayhem, The Associated Press also posted a breaking piece of news on their Twitter account reporting a European Union official had said that the EU and China will reaffirm their commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement regardless of the US decision.
BREAKING: EU official: EU and China to reaffirm their commitment to Paris climate deal regardless of US decision.
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 31, 2017
This reaffirms news we reported just last week that the European Union and the 79 countries that make up the African, Caribbean, and Pacific coalition (ACP) had committed to defend and implement the Paris Agreement regardless of what happens.
In response to the reports that the US will bail on the Paris Agreement, 350.org Executive Director May Boeve issued the following statement:
“Today is a shameful day. The Trump Administration’s decision to exit the Paris Climate Agreement is a travesty, a crime against the future of people and the planet. The choice they had was clear, and they decided to side with fossil fuel billionaires over the overwhelming majority of American who support the agreement. By exiting, the Administration has isolated the United States from the rest of the world and defamed the U.S position as global leader on climate action and much more.
“We aren’t waiting on the Trump Administration any longer. It is imperative that the rest of the world fill the gap and take bold and swift climate action. Here in the U.S, where the government is failing us, we will fight the expansion of the fossil fuel industry tooth and nail and secure commitments from cities, institutions, and ordinary people to transition to a 100% clean energy future. The world won’t be dragged back by a fossil fuel industry puppet in the White House. We’re committed to moving forward.”
Anthony Hobley, CEO of the Carbon Tracker Initiative, also published a statement today on word of the news:
“The abandonment of the Paris Agreement by the Trump administration, if confirmed, is an economic and leadership failure of monumental proportions and will sadly cast the U.S. on the wrong side of history.
“The rest of the world and key parts of the US economy, such as California, will get on with implementation regardless.
“Our financial analysis shows beyond doubt that the low carbon transition underway is driven by unstoppable technological change and innovation. New energy generation from renewables has overtaken new generation from coal. In the United States alone solar jobs grew 25% last year, more than in the oil, gas and coal sectors.
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More news to come when there’s actual news.
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