World Leaders React To Trump’s Decision to Leave Climate Pact

Several world leaders have expressed their anger and disappointment over US President, Donald Trump’s decision to leave the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change.

The agreement, which pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change, was signed by 195 UNFCCC members. Only two countries, Syria and Nicaragua, refrained from putting pen to paper.

The Trump administration, a mostly conservative leadership, has denounced the idea of climate change on various occasions.

European leaders have been the most outspoken over Trump’s decision.

Led by newly elected French president, Emmanuel Macron, France, Germany and Italy – Europe’s three biggest economies – released a joint statement condemning Trump’s decision to leave the agreement.

“We, the Heads of State and of Government of France, Germany and Italy, take note with regret of the decision by the United States of America to withdraw from the universal agreement on climate change,” a part of the statement read.

During his announcement speech on Thursday, Trump said that the Paris Agreement was putting “draconian” burdens on the US, which would cost them “millions of jobs and billions of dollars”.

Trump repeatedly described the agreement as “very unfair” to the US and beneficial to major polluters such as China and India.

French president, Emmanuel Macron, organised and impromptu press conference after Trump’s announcement, where he reiterated his disappointment and said that France will do all it can to help tackle climate change.

Macron also extended an invitation to all US scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs disappointed by the the decision to move to France in order to work together to find solutions for climate change.

He ended his speech with a cheeky quip to the US president, saying the world must work together to “make our planet great again”.

Trump has yet to respond to the global outrage over his decision.