AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, the War and Peace Report, I'm Amy Goodman.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday he’ll withdraw the United States from the
landmark Paris climate accord that was signed by nearly 200 nations in 2015 and heralded
as a rare moment of international collaboration to avert imminent climate disaster.
He spoke in the White House Rose Garden, surrounded by supporters.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: As of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the
nonbinding Paris accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement
imposes on our country.
This includes ending the implementation of the nationally determined contribution and,
very importantly, the Green Climate Fund, which is costing the United States a vast
fortune.
AMY GOODMAN: The United States is the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
As part of the accord, it had committed to providing financial assistance for pollution
controls in developing nations.
By pulling out of the agreement, Trump stuck to his campaign promise of putting America
first.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.
It is time to put Youngstown, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; along
with many, many other locations within our great country, before Paris, France.
It is time to make America great again.
AMY GOODMAN: In fact, the city of Pittsburgh has a climate action plan committing to boosting
the use of renewable energy, and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, a Democrat, has been an
outspoken supporter of the Paris accord.
He tweeted after Trump’s announcement, quote, "As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure
you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy
& future," unquote.
The response from world leaders was similarly defiant.
France joined Germany and Italy in issuing a joint statement expressing "regret" and
rejecting Trump’s claim he would renegotiate the deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron also responded with a televised speech that marked the first
time a French president has ever given a speech in English from the Élysée Palace.
PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: We will succeed, because we are fully committed, because, wherever
we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility: Make our planet great
again.
AMY GOODMAN: Meanwhile, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged ongoing commitment to
the Paris climate accord and said Trump’s decision would not stop Germany from moving
forward.
CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL: [translated] Germany will support the Fiji Islands in preparing
the next climate conference, and we will do that together with France.
Yesterday, I spoke with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, about the Paris Agreement
to the conference in November, which will go further on the path of climate control.
AMY GOODMAN: Now new diplomatic alliances appear to be forming in the wake of Trump’s
announcement, with Europe, India and China all pledging to uphold their end of the deal.
Chinese premier Li Keqiang joined with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at
an EU-China summit in Brussels on Friday in a show of solidarity.
The former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, said Trump’s decision had turned the United
States into "a rogue state."
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox tweeted, the "United States has stopped being the leader
of the free world."
On Twitter, critics noted in 2009 the Trump family, including Donald Trump, took out a
full-page ad in The New York Times urging international action on climate change.
Following Trump’s announcement, landmarks in cities around the world were lit up green
in support of the Paris climate accord.
Here in New York City, demonstrators gathered near City Hall to protest.
MARITZA SILVA-FARRELL: Talking about climate change isn’t an issue only about environmental
justice.
It’s an issue of racial justice.
It’s an issue of economic justice.
So, if Trump thinks that he is going to undermine what we have been building here in New York
City, he is wrong.
PROTESTERS: Climate justice!
PROTESTER 1: When do we want it?
PROTESTERS: Now!
PROTESTER 1: What do we want?
PROTESTERS: Climate justice!
PROTESTER 1: When do we want it?
PROTESTERS: Now!
SHAUN WILLIAMS: My name is Shaun Williams, and I’m here with WE ACT for Environmental
Justice.
You look at his executive orders that he’s signing and even with this Paris accord and
pulling out of that, you see that everything that he wants to do is taking us back into
all of the things that we fought against and that we fought to get out of.
LOLA: My name is Lola.
I am an organizer with NYU Divest.
I’m a student at NYU.
It’s not a—it’s not a valid argument, the jobs argument, at all, especially because
lives are at risk.
Millions of lives are at risk.
Refugees are at risk.
PROTESTER 2: Now is the time to stop them.
We need to stop them.
We do not have much time.
CHARLOTTE BINNS: I’m Charlotte Binns.
I’m with RENew York City, which is a powerful movement to change the default energy supply
to renewable for all of New York City.
I think Trump is some kind of diabolical wake-up call, because I’ve never seen so much civic
engagement in my life, and I’ve never seen so much local power, local government, stand
up on issues that normally they don’t.
PROTESTER 3: What do we want?
PROTESTERS: Climate justice!
PROTESTER 3: When do we want it?
PROTESTERS: Now!
PROTESTER 3: What do we want?
PROTESTERS: Climate justice!
PROTESTER 3: When do we want it?
PROTESTERS: Now!
VALERIE ROSS: If we stay out of that Paris Agreement, what’s going to happen with the
planet?
There will be no one left.
And, of course, the thing that’s complete folly about this—Trump’s not thinking
about this, whether it’s Trump, whether it’s McConnell, the rest of them—what
they’re not realizing is, they’re going to go down, too.
Last time I checked, there is no other planet that’s capable of harboring life of any
sort.
This is it.
My question is, frankly speaking: Trump, Bannon, are you suicidal?
Is that what this is?
Because you’re going to go take—you’re going to go, too.
AMY GOODMAN: Some of the voices of protest against President Trump’s announcement Thursday
that he is withdrawing the United States out of the landmark Paris climate accord.
When we come back, we host a roundtable discussion with climate scientist Michael Mann, climate
activist Kumi Naidoo in South Africa, Asad Rehman in London, and oil and energy journalist
Antonia Juhasz joining us from California.
This is Democracy Now!
Back in a moment.