Donald Trump withdraws the US from Paris climate agreement, Obama, Zuckerberg, Macron, Clinton reacts

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced his decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord, a decision that fulfills one of his campaign promise and criticized by former US president, Barack Obama, Facebook CEO,  Mark Zuckerberg, France president, Macron several environmental campaigners. 


Trump based his decision to pull the US from the Paris climate agreement as “a reassertion of America’s sovereignty”, adding that he was “elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”

"We don't want other countries and other leaders laughing at us anymore," he said, adding that the current deal could cost the US as many as 2.7 million jobs by 2025.

“The Paris climate accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States, to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workers, who I love, and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories and vastly diminished economic production,” he said.

Trump however held out the hope of a compromise saying he would immediately start a process to develop a fairer deal that would protect American workers.

Speaking from the White House, Trump said he was open to renegotiating aspects of the agreement, which was signed by his predecessor and 195 other leaders except two being Syria and Nicaragua.

Trump who was withering in his criticism of the pact, which he cast as a humiliating defeat for American workers that unfairly advantaged foreign countries said'

"At what point does America get demeaned? At what point do they start laughing at us as a country?"

"We want fair treatment," Trump said. "We don't want other countries and other leaders to laugh at us anymore."

Reacting to Trump's decision, former President Obama, criticized the move in a statement saying;

"Even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I'm confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we've got."

Environmental campaigners said the American absence will make it considerable harder for the remaining 190 or so countries to reach their agreed goals, given that the US is responsible for about 15 percent of global emissions of carbon and promised $3 billion to help other nations.

“Trump has abandoned the standard of American leadership, turned his back on what the public and the market demand, and shamelessly disregarded the safety of our families just to let the fossil fuel industry eke out a few more dollars in profits,” said Michael Brune, chief executive of the Sierra Club.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, says the decision 'puts our children's future at risk'

Withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement is bad for the environment, bad for the economy, and it puts our children's future at risk.
For our part, we've committed that every new data center we build will be powered by 100% renewable energy.
Stopping climate change is something we can only do as a global community, and we have to act together before it's too late, He wrote on Facebook.

Also lending his voice is another former US president, Bill Clinton who said;

Walking away from Paris treaty is a mistake. Climate change is real. We owe our children more. Protecting our future also creates more jobs.

France president in a tweet said; Make our planet great again.

 

 Also criticizing the move is former US vice president, Joe Biden. 

We're already feeling impacts of climate change. Exiting #ParisAgreement imperils US security and our ability to own the clean energy future, he tweeted.