Skip to main content

World Leaders Increase Pressure on Trump to Stay in the Paris Accord - The New York Times

posted onMay 27, 2017
>

Article snippet: TAORMINA, Sicily — World leaders on Friday intensified their pressure on President Trump to keep the United States in the Paris climate agreement, as negotiators for seven Western powers labored to bridge differences between Mr. Trump and his counterparts before they depart on Saturday. Faced with repeated pleas by allies during private meetings at this two-day summit meeting of the Group of 7 countries, Mr. Trump remained unyielding in his assertion that the United States would do whatever is best for the United States — including the possibility of withdrawing from the 2015 pact signed with 195 nations, aides said. Mr. Trump’s message on the environment to the leaders on Friday made clear which option would win if the United States must choose between its economic well-being or staying in the Paris climate agreement. “If those things collide, growing our economy is going to win,” said Gary D. Cohn, the president’s economics adviser, who was at the Italy summit meeting. The exit of the world’s largest economy and second-largest greenhouse gas polluter from the Paris accord would profoundly weaken the landmark effort to curb climate change. It could pave the way for other countries to withdraw, or to simply weaken their own commitments to cutting planet-warming pollution. But even as the leaders themselves mounted a concerted campaign to persuade a skeptical American president to stay, negotiators for the seven nations who gathered at the Hotel San Domenico here ... Link to the full article to read more

Emotional score for this article