“President Donald Trump hasn’t yet decided whether to keep the U.S. in the landmark Paris agreement on climate change but is leaning toward exiting the accord, according to two people familiar with the matter,” Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Jennifer Jacobs, and Margaret Talev report for Bloomberg. “The administration is preparing for several different outcomes and is lining up experts to speak to the media when an announcement is made, according to another person familiar with the discussions.”
“Trump’s top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, has informed counterparts in European Union nations that the president intends to withdraw, according to a person familiar with the communication,” Dlouhy, Jacobs, and Talev report. “Advocates for the Paris accord increased their pressure on Trump after reports Wednesday that he would likely leave it, including Tesla Inc. chief executive Elon Musk, who said on Twitter he would resign from White House advisory councils if the U.S. exits the accord.”
Will have no choice but to depart councils in that case
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 31, 2017
“Top administration officials have been divided on what to do, with some, including Ivanka Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, urging Trump to stay in the deal. Others, including Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, lead a faction pushing a U.S. exit,” Dlouhy, Jacobs, and Talev report. “There is consensus in the administration that the terms of the Paris deal must change, and it’s exploring whether that requires a full exit or a scaled-back U.S. commitment to cut emissions, according to one of the people.”
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
“Trump has called climate change a ‘hoax’ and criticized the deal as ‘one-sided’ against the U.S. White House legal advisers have warned that staying in the accord could undercut Trump’s efforts to rescind rules on power-plant emissions and methane leaks,” Dlouhy, Jacobs, and Talev report. “As the richest nation and the second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide, the U.S. is central to efforts to address global warming. The Vatican and companies as diverse as Exxon Mobil Corp. and Apple Inc., as well as Tesla, had urged the president to remain in the pact.”
We’re making progress toward a greener future. Our next goal: making products without mining new materials #EarthDay https://t.co/iIHRXEwpfA pic.twitter.com/MuMYIlcUiU
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 21, 2017
“U.S. climate efforts won’t completely cease if Trump walks away from Paris,” Dlouhy, Jacobs, and Talev report. “States including California, New York and Massachusetts continue to move forward with aggressive policies to cut carbon emissions. Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, Apple, Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google and other companies continue their push to power their facilities with wind and solar energy.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Well, one thing’s for sure: The climate has certainly changed ion Washington D.C.