Donald Trump set to pull the US out of Paris climate change deal, official says

Donald Trump is expected to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, a White House official has said.

The anonymous official added there may be “caveats in the language” the US president may use to announce the withdrawal – leaving open the possibility that the decision isn’t final.

This comes after Trump, who promised to pull the US out of the deal during his presidential campaign, tweeted that he would be “announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days”, adding: “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Nearly 200 nations, including the United States, agreed in 2015 to voluntarily reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to combat climate change.The US is the world’s second-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide behind China.

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During Trump’s overseas trip last week, European leaders pressed him to keep the US in the landmark agreement.Following the news, the United Nations tweeted from its official account, quoting from a speech by Secretary General Antonio Guterres: “Climate change is undeniable. Climate action is unstoppable. Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable.”

Craig Bennett, CEO of environmental group Friends of the Earth, said in a statement: “The next five years are a watershed moment for our climate. Only if we act now can we hope to prevent catastrophic climate change destroying homes and livelihoods here in the UK and fuelling starvation and refugee crises across the globe.“This short-sighted and dangerous decision will be met by opposition around the world: from ordinary people, to scientists, and political leaders – making the US a global outcast.” Trump has previously dismissed climate change as a hoax, tweeting in 2012 that it was “created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive”.

Word of Trump’s possible decision comes a day after the president met with Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.Since taking office, Trump and Pruitt have moved to delay or roll back federal regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions while pledging to revive long-struggling US coal mines.It is not yet clear whether Trump plans to initiate a formal withdrawal from the Paris accord, which under the terms of the agreement could take three years, or exit the underlying UN climate change treaty on which the accord was based.