In a significant walk-back from its earlier stance, the Trump administration announced this Saturday that the U.S. will not withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, and has instead offered to “re-engage” the accord, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The shift in policy reportedly came during a Montreal meeting in June held by more 30 ministers from Canada, China, and the European Union.
“The U.S. has stated that they will not renegotiate the Paris accord, but they will try to review the terms on which they could be engaged under this agreement,” European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said according to the Journal.
Staying IN the Paris Climate Accord? A 180 makes sense after Trump reportedly says "People really f*cking hate me." pic.twitter.com/22Puwqv4fs
— Keith Olbermann↙️ (@KeithOlbermann) September 16, 2017
From The Wall Street Journal:
White House senior adviser Everett Eissenstat unveiled the U.S. plan, according to an official at Saturday’s gathering, as Ottawa, Beijing and Brussels accelerate their joint effort to minimize the fallout from a potential U.S. withdrawal from the Paris agreement.
After the Journal’s report broke, CNBC reported that a White House official denied the Journal’s story.
“As the president has made abundantly clear, the United States is withdrawing unless we can re-enter on terms that are more favorable to our country,” said deputy White House secretary Lindsey Walter.
Either way, Trump’s alleged reversal may prove to be a thin victory for environmental advocates. The U.S. is expected to relax efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions going forward.
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