International anger at Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement has been led by the US’s closest G7 allies, with Germany, France and Italy warning that they are unwilling to renegotiate the treaty.
International anger at Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement has been led by the US’s closest G7 allies, with Germany, France and Italy warning that they are unwilling to renegotiate the treaty.
But the unity of allied opprobrium, which included Canadian premier Justin Trudeau and Japan’s environment minister, was ruptured by Theresa May, the UK prime minister, who abstained from the European statement and instead indicated she believed American policy on climate change should be left to Washington.
The outpouring of opposition from signatories to the UN pact was joined by several prominent American business leaders, with Elon Musk of Tesla and Bob Iger of Walt Disney announcing they would resign from White House advisory councils.
But the political rejection from allies appeared to be the most vehement and threatened to exacerbate already strained transatlantic relations.
“We deem the momentum generated in Paris in December 2015 irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris agreement cannot be renegotiated, since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economies,” Germany’s Angela Merkel, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Paolo Gentiloni said in the joint statement.
Mrs May’s failure to align with major European powers even ahead of Brexit talks was seized on by her rivals less than a week before parliamentary elections, with the opposition Labour party accusing the prime minister of “subservience” for refusing to sign the joint statement.
“Given the chance to present a united front with our European partners, she has instead opted for cowardice and subservience to Donald Trump,” said Emily Thornberry, Labour’s foreign policy spokesperson. “It is a dereliction of her duty both to our country and to our planet.”
Downing Street insisted Mrs May had voiced concern in a Thursday evening phone call with the US president to discuss his decision to pull out of the pact.
The prime minister had “expressed her disappointment with the decision,” Number 10 said. “The UK remained committed to the Paris agreement, as she set out recently at the G7,” it added.
“She said that the Paris agreement provides the right global framework for protecting the prosperity and security of future generations, while keeping energy affordable and secure for our citizens and businesses.”
But Downing Street also indicated that American policy on the issue was a matter for Washington. David Gauke, a cabinet minister, declared: “Different countries will take different approaches in how we choose to express our opinion.”
Mr Trump withdrawal put the US in league with only two other countries - Syria and Nicaragua - that are not participating in the agreement.
The allied rejection of Mr Trump’s call for a renegotiation is expected to be joined by Beijing on Friday with China’s premier Li Keqiang scheduled to appear with EU leaders in Brussels to cement an agreement to accelerate Paris-related climate measures.
A joint statement to be issued by Mr Li Keqiang and EU presidents Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker will say they are determined to forge ahead with measures to “lead the energy transition” towards a global low-carbon economy.
China and the EU have sidelined the US on the issue of global warming and forged a “green alliance” to combat climate change, but China has taken a low-key approach since Mr Trump’s formal announcement on Thursday. On a visit to Berlin, Mr Li said: “China will continue to uphold its commitments to the Paris climate agreement.”
India, which ratified the Paris agreement in October after intense nudging from Mr Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, has so far maintained official silence on Mr Trump’s decision.
New Delhi submitted its Paris ratification on the birthday of its independence icon Mahatma Gandhi, calling it a fitting tribute to a leader who had warned in his lifetime of the unbridled exploitation of natural resources. But New Delhi has pinned its hopes on a warm bilateral relationship with Mr Trump and seems reluctant to publicly criticise him. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make an official trip to Washington later this month.
But the US’s most important Asian ally was sharply critical, with Koichi Yamamoto, Japan’s environment minister, saying: “I’m deeply disappointed by President Trump’s decision to turn his back on the hard-won wisdom of humanity.” Similar criticism came from fellow G7 member Canada, with Mr Trudeau saying he would continue to work with US municipalities and states that have already announced they would stick by Paris’ strictures.
“While the US decision is disheartening, we remain inspired by the growing momentum around the world to combat climate change and transition to clean growth economies,” Mr Trudeau said.
The Russian government said Mr Trump’s pullout would not change Russia’s determination to join the agreement. “We made the decision to join. I don’t think that we will flip out of it,” said deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich.
But a senior Kremlin aide took a much more sceptical view, suggesting the Paris deal could be dead without Washington. Although Russia would not switch in response to changes of other countries’ policy, the exit of the US would deal a big blow to the agreement, said Andrei Belousov, economic adviser to President Vladimir Putin.
“It is completely obvious that without the participation of the US, the Paris agreement will not work because the US is one of the largest emitters,” Mr Belousov said. “We are still analysing this, but in the worst case, if the US says no, it means that there will have to be other mechanisms.”
