Donald Trump has
been lambasted by a German newspaper with the headline 'Earth to Trump -
f**k you!' after he pulled out of the Paris climate change accord as
world leaders unite to criticise him.
The
Berliner Kurier used the expletive headline as German Chancellor Angela
Merkel on Friday vowed 'more decisive action than ever' to protect the
climate after the US pullout.
'We in
Germany, in Europe and the world will band together to take more
decisive action than ever to confront and successfully surmount major
challenges to humanity such as climate change,' she told reporters.
European Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) pose during the
EU-China Business Summit at the Egmont Palace in Brussels on Friday .
European Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker (rear C) welcomes Li Keqiang (front C) prior to a
meeting at the European Council
She
pledged her country's continued commitment to the accord, saying it was
a 'cornerstone' of attempts to protect 'our Creation'.
In
a short statement to the German parliament, Merkel said there was no
turning back from the path that began with the 1997 Kyoto climate
protocol and continued with 2015's 'historic' Paris deal.
Merkel said there was no turning back from the climate change pact
'The
decision of the US President to withdraw from the Paris Climate
Agreement is very regrettable, and I'm expressing myself in a very
reserved way when I say that,' she said, adding that the deal was needed
to protect the environment.
'To
everyone for whom the future of our planet is important, I say let's
continue going down this path so we're successful for our Mother Earth,'
she said to applause from lawmakers.
President
of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said there can be no
'backsliding' from the agreement as China, the world's bigger polluter,
said it would like to uphold the 'hard-won' Paris Accord.
Speaking
at a summit with China business leaders in Brussels on Friday Juncker
said: 'China and the European Union are aligned on the need for
international solutions.
'Nowhere is
that more important than in leading the global clean energy transition
and the implementation, the full implementation without nuances, of the
Paris Climate Agreement.
'There is no reverse gear to the energy transition. There is no backsliding on the Paris Agreement,' he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to 'Make our planet great again' in a response to President Trump's speech.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also called Trump to express his disappointment at the decision
French
President Emmanuel Macron delivered a take-down of President Trump's
new climate policy, calling his decision a 'mistake' that threatens the
world – not long after a phone call where Trump told him about America's
'strong record' on the environment.
'Wherever
we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility. Make our
planet great again. Thank you,' Macron said at the end of videotaped
remarks released as counter-programming immediately following the
president's Rose Garden speech announcing the U.S. would pull out of the
Paris climate accord.
Speaking
directly to the camera in English, in remarks released following
Trump's, the newest leader on the European stage described the threat of
climate change – something the president didn't address in his remarks.
Macron
said, 'If we do nothing, our children will know a world of migrations,
of wars, of shortage. A dangerous world. It is not a future we want for
ourselves. It is not a future we want for our children. It is not a
future we want for our world.'
America First: 'We don't want
other leaders and other countries laughing at us anymore. And they won't
be. They won't be,' the president said in the Rose Garden
In
London, British Prime Minister Theresa May told Trump, during a phone
call in which he informed her of his decision, that the climate accord
was a safety net for future generations, Downing Street said.
'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,' May told Trump
by phone, it said in a statement.
In
addition to Macron's speech denouncing President Trump's decision
continental Europe's three biggest economies - Germany, France and Italy
- issued a joint statement to criticise the move and slap away his
offer of renegotiating the deal.
'We
note the United States' decision with regret,' they said, describing the
carbon-curbing accord as 'a vital tool for our planet, our societies
and our economies.'
'We are firmly
convinced that the agreement cannot be renegotiated,' they added,
referring to Trump's announcement that Washington was open to
negotiating a new agreement.
North of
Washington D.C., Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also called
Trump to express his disappointment at the decision, but said he was
inspired by 'the growing momentum around the world to combat climate
change and transition to clean growth economies'.
Prime Minister Trudeau's Environment
Minister Catherine McKenna said: 'Canada is deeply disappointed at the
U.S. position. The Paris agreement is a good deal for Canada and it's a
good deal for the world.'
'No one country can stop action on climate change.'
New
Zealand's Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett said that 'so much of
what (Trump) said is wrong', arguing that America was not paying a
disproportionate cost to be part of the deal.
Australia's
Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the agreement was
meaningful even without Washington's participation.
Mexican
ministers said the world had a 'moral imperative' to live up to the
commitments made in the Paris climate pact, while Brazil's foreign
ministry said it was concerned and disappointed by Washington's move.
Venezuela and Argentina also denounced the decision.
Fiji's
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who will serve as president of UN
climate talks in Germany later this year, labelled Trump's announcement
'deeply disappointing'.
'While the loss of America's leadership is unfortunate, this is a struggle that is far from over,' he said.
In
unusually strong comments, Japanese environment minister Koichi
Yamamoto said: 'It's as if they've turned their back on the wisdom of
humanity.
'In addition to being disappointed, I'm also angry.'
President
Trump said he made the decision to pull the U.S. out of deal, ratified
by 148 nations after lengthy discussions in December 2015, as it was bad
for American jobs and bad for the environment, daring the opprobrium
from foreign leaders, environmentalists, scientists and celebrities.
'We
don't want other leaders and other countries laughing at us any more.
And they won't be. They won't be,' Trump declared. 'I was elected to
represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.'
Before he even sat down, his predecessor Barack Obama launched an all-out assault, saying Trump 'joins a small handful of nations that reject the future'.
The leaders of France, Germany and Italy said the decision was 'regrettable' and that the deal was 'non-negotiable'.
Elon
Musk, the Tesla billionaire, said he was quitting advising the White
House, tweeting: 'Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.'
Where's Jared: The President's
son-in-law Jared Kushner and his daughter Ivanka, both said to have
wanted him to stay in the Prais treaty, were absent as they marked a
Jewish holiday
Trump
complained in the White House's Rose Garden that major polluters like
China are allowed to increase their emissions under the agreement in a
way that the US cannot. India is hinging its participation on billions
of dollars of foreign aid.
'The bottom line is that the Paris Accord is very unfair, at the highest level, to the United States,' he said.
He argued later, 'The agreement is a massive redistribution of United States wealth to other countries.'
'This
agreement is less about the climate and more about other countries
gaining a financial advantage over the United States,' he contended.
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