The Trump Presidency
Pushback to Trump's exit from the Paris Climate Accords

Mayor Bloomberg and a whole host of city, state and business leaders will NOT exit from the Paris Climate Accords

Burgess COMMENTARY
US joins Syrian and Nicaragua ... is this what Trump's America First leadership gets America?
Peter Burgess

Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he will personally make up the $15m in funding that the United Nations will lose after Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Paris climate accord.

The US would have been required to contribute that amount towards efforts to prevent catastrophic climate change under the historic agreement between 195 countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Americans are not walking away from the Paris climate agreement,” Mr Bloomberg said on Thursday, according to the Washington Examiner.

The billionaire philanthropist added: “Americans will honour and fulfil the Paris agreement by leading from the bottom up — and there isn't anything Washington can do to stop us.'

Mr Trump announced on Thursday that the US - the world’s second biggest CO2 producer - would withdraw from the landmark agreement to cut climate emissions, making it one of only three nations in the world that will not be signed up.

The other two are Nicaragua, which does not think the requirements are stringent enough, and Syria which is embroiled in a bitter conflict.

Also on Thursday, The New York Times cited a letter from Mr Bloomberg to UN Secretary-General António Guterres in which the businessman said other elements of US government and society should take the lead on climate change where Mr Trump had failed to do so.

Mr Bloomberg is a UN special envoy for local leaders, tasked with meeting the Paris climate targets.

Mr Bloomberg joins a growing list of world leaders and company chief executives to condemn Mr Trump’s move.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and Disney boss Bob Iger resigned from their positions as economic advisors to the President on Thursday.

Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and Goldman Sachs have all also criticised Mr Trump's decision.

Shortly after the president's announcement, the leaders of France, Germany and Italy issued a joint statement saying they regretted Mr Trump's decision.

Theresa May attracted criticism for initially remaining quiet on the US' withdrawal before a spokesperson issued a statement that said she had told Mr Trump she was 'disappointed'.

By contrast, French President Emmanuel Macron made an English-language speech from the presidential palace, unprecedented from a French leader in an address at home.

Macron reacts to Trump's Paris decision: 'Make our planet great again'

Mr Macron said: “I do respect this decision but I do think it is an actual mistake both for the US and for our planet.”

Referencing Mr Trump's campaign slogan, 'Make America Great Again', the French president added: “Wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility: make our planet great again.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also criticised the US president's announcement which she said was 'extremely regrettable', adding that she was using 'extremely restrained terms'.

More about: Donald TrumpParis climate agreementMichael Bloomberg
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