The New York Times: As Trump Exits Paris Agreement, Other Nations Are Defiant

By withdrawing the United States from a non-binding treaty, Donald Trump rejects that climate change is a crisis. He rejects the opinion of a majority of US citizens and virtually the entire global science community. He rejects notions that cities like Pittsburgh and Paris might have common interests or that the US as biggest carbon polluter in history should contribute to a fund helping poor countries develop green energies. He also rejects the stance of the country’s closest allies or the United Nations as an institution for resolving global challenges. Countries cannot solve or defy global challenges such as climate change on their own, and most world leaders maintain that cooperation is the best approach. “Leaders from around the world maintained a defiant front,” reports a team from the New York Times. French President Emmanuel Macron issued a call to “make our planet great again.” China said it will stick with the accord; both China and India have slowed their reliance on coal. European leaders said a deal signed by nearly 200 countries will not be renegotiated. United Nations and European leaders were especially disturbed that the US president did not seem to understand the terms or mechanisms of the agreement as revealed by inaccuracies in his speech. Miguel Arias Cañete, the European Union’s commissioner for climate, suggests the decision will galvanize “new broad committed leadership.” Many expect new diplomatic alliances to emerge that isolate the United States. – YaleGlobal