02 June, 2017

Donald Trump's call to 'put America first' by exiting Paris climate accord to backfire

That Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement was widely anticipated does little to moderate its impact on efforts to avoid dangerous global warming and America's standing in the world.
 Director of Melbourne University's Climate
 & Energy College, 
Malte Meinshausen, introduces
 a speaker at a recent lecture.
The US will exit from its voluntary obligations - now set at a reduction of 26-28 per cent of 2005 emission levels - but begin negotiations to re-enter but at terms that are "fair" for America, Trump said.

The Paris accord was "less about climate and more about other countries getting a financial advantage over the US", he said, amounting to "a massive redistribution of United States' wealth to other nations”.

Malte Meinshausen, director of Melbourne University's Climate & Energy College and a former climate negotiator, dismissed Trump's suggestion the Paris agreement could be "renegotiated'. That way could "paralyse international negotiations for years".  


Read Peter Hannam’s piece in today’s Melbourne Age - “Donald Trump's call to 'put America first' by exiting Paris climate accord to backfire.”

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