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Paris climate agreement: Trump said to be pulling US out of global accord – live Paris climate agreement: Trump withdraws US from global accord – live
(35 minutes later)
9.00pm BST
21:00
Trump's Paris pullout is more damaging to the US than the climate
Damian Carrington
Will Donald Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate change agreement tip the world into fiery catastrophe? The extraordinary unity of the rest of the world’s nations in tackling global warming, allied with the booming green economy, driven by plummeting renewable energy costs, are strong reasons to think not.
A much more likely casualty of Trump’s choice is the US economy he claims to be protecting: America’s brilliance at innovation, investment and building businesses will no longer have its government’s support. The prize of leadership in the 21st-century economy could be sacrificed in a doomed attempt to revive the fossil-fuelled economy of the 20th century.
However much Trump “digs coal”, he cannot force companies to build coal-fired power stations if wind and solar are cheaper and executives are smart enough to realise that a billion-dollar bet on a new plant – likely to be closed by Trump’s successor – is not a winner.
Instead, US states and cities will continue to pursue the green future that secures clean air, water and the promise of climate stability for their citizens. That is no small deal: combined together, California and New York City would be the fourth biggest economy in the world.
Read further:
8.58pm BST
20:58
Trump says withdrawing from the deal “represents a reassertion of America’s sovereignty.” Then he says it’s his “highest obligation and greatest honor” to protect the US constitution.
8.58pm BST
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Reactions, cont'd
Lauren Gambino
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who long opposed the accord, praised Trump’s decision to withdraw, calling the treaty “simply a raw deal for America”:
“Signed by President Obama without Senate ratification, it would have driven up the cost of energy, hitting middle-class and low-income Americans the hardest,” Ryan said in a statement. “In order to unleash the power of the American economy, our government must encourage production of American energy.”
8.54pm BST
20:54
Trump conjures global conspiracy behind Paris deal
Trump says the tax reform bill “is moving along in Congress” and people will be “pleasantly surprised.”
“It’s going very well,” Trump says.
Then he says the Paris deal “handicaps the US economy in order to win praise from the very global activists and [who?] that have long sought to gain wealth at our expense...”
In that section, Trump pointed to a shadowy global conspiracy that created the Paris deal to steal US treasure and insult her citizenry. This is the Bannon section.
“You see what’s happening,” Trump says. “It’s pretty obvious to those who keep an open mind.”
Then he warns that other countries are laughing at the USA:
At what point does America get demeaned. At what point does America get laughed at as a country.
“I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,” Trump says.
8.51pm BST
20:51
The fact that the Paris deal hamstrings the United States while empowering some of the world’s top polluting countries should expel any doubt as to why foreign lobbyists should wish to keep our beautiful country tied up and bound down... that’s not going to happen while I’m president, I’m sorry.
– Donald Trump
8.49pm BST
20:49
Reactions, cont'd
Sabrina Siddiqui
Tom Steyer, the environmental activist and Democratic mega-donor, vowed retribution for Trump’s action.
“The Trump Administration has just committed assault and battery on the future of the American people,” Steyer, who serves as the president of the advocacy group NextGen Climate, said in a statement.
“By pulling out of the Paris Agreement, Donald Trump is betraying the moral, political, and economic leadership position America has achieved over centuries at the cost of American lives. Yet the voice of the people remains the most powerful force in the land, and we will be heard.”
Brian Deese, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama who led the previous administration’s efforts on climate, said Trump’s decision marked a retreat from “a total global consensus” on the need to combat global warming.
“The diplomatic blowback will be significant,” he said, while pointing to the widespread support for the Paris accord among every one of America’s key allies.
“Diplomacy is a give and take,” Deese added.
“The next time the United States is looking for partnership, a lot of these countries will legitimately say when it came to an issue we cared about, you weren’t there for us.” And that’s a meaningful thing.”
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer described Trump’s decision as “a devastating failure of historic proportions.”
“Future generations will look back on President Trump’s decision as one of the worst policy moves made in the 21st century because of the huge damage to our economy, our environment and our geopolitical standing,” Schumer said in a statement.
“Pulling out of the Paris agreement doesn’t put America first, it puts America last in recognizing science, in being a world leader and protecting our own shore line, our economy and our planet,” he added. “It’s now crystal clear President Trump is comfortable both ceding the moral high ground and the economic upper hand to countries like China, and endangering the future of our planet.”
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8.47pm BST
20:47
Trump portrays Paris deal as economic catastrophe for US
Trump calls the Paris deal a “self-inflicted major economic wound.” There’s no indication that’s the case, but likewise nothing stopping him from saying it.
Trump is making out the Paris deal, which hadn’t dug in in the US’ energy policy yet when he was elected, to be the source of a made-up US economic catastrophe and hemorrhaging of jobs and GDP.
“The agreement is a massive redistribution of United States wealth to other countries,” Trump says.
Again, a wild claim, wildly unfounded from the president. He says “we’ll be at grave risk of brownouts and blackouts, our businesses will come to a halt in many cases” under the Paris deal.
8.44pm BST
20:44
The Paris accord “is very unfair at the highest level to the United States,” Trump says.
Trump says the agreement blocks the development of clean coal. “And the mines are starting to open up. We’re having a big opening,” he says.
Then he says Paris would have outlawed US coal but allowed China and Indian coal.
“In short the agreement doesn’t eliminate coal jobs, it just transfers those jobs out of the United States.” Coal jobs, and the role of coal in US energy production, were long gone before the Paris deal.
8.42pm BST
20:42
Trump says the Paris deal would cost the US economy $3tn in lost GDP.
Then Trump says he’s backing out of the deal owing to his environmental conscience:
As someone who cares deeply about the environment, as I do, I cannot in good conscience support a deal which harms the United States, which it does.
8.39pm BST
20:39
Obama: 'States, cities, and businesses will step up'
Statement from Barack Obama on the Paris Climate Agreement pic.twitter.com/SQc6kQV0Ah
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8.37pm BST
20:37
Trump on Paris: 'We're getting out'
Trump says that “one-by-one” he’s keeping the promises he made in his presidential campaign.
“Believe me, we’ve just begun,” he says. “The fruits of our labor will be seen very shortly.”
“I don’t want anything to get in our way,” he says. “Therefore, in order to fulfill my solemn duty to protect America... the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord.”
Trump fans in the crowd clap. “Thank you,” he says.
“But begin negotiations to reenter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States...
“So we’re getting out but we’ll start to negotiate and we’ll see if we can make a deal that’s fair.’
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8.34pm BST
20:34
Donald Trump arrives. He says he’s monitoring an attack at a casino in Manila. Then he says he made “a very very successful trip” abroad, “believe me.” He says he is creating American jobs.
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8.32pm BST
20:32
Pence:
“The American people ... will see once again, our president is choosing to put American jobs and American consumers first... and choosing to put America’s forgotten men and women first.”
8.31pm BST
20:31
Pence: 'America is back'
Pence welcomes everyone. “You know it’s the greatest privilege of my life to serve as vice president to a president who is fighting every day to make America great again,” Pence says.
“And this president has been rolling back excessive regulations and unfair trade practices that were stifling American jobs,” he says.
“Thanks to president Donald Trump, America is back.”
8.30pm BST
20:30
The live stream is active. Vice president Mike Pence has come out.
8.29pm BST
20:29
Further reaction
Jacqueline Savitz, executive with Oceana:
President Trump’s decision regarding the Paris Agreement on climate action spells trouble for the world’s oceans -- and for humanity. The oceans have already absorbed massive amounts of heat and carbon dioxide, causing ocean waters to become more acidic. This is bad news for corals, molluscs like clams and oysters, and arthropods like lobsters and crabs. That means not only ecological devastation but a hit to our seafood economy.
Coastal communities and ecosystems around the world are threatened with seas that are rising because of the expansion of warmed waters and the melting of ancient ice caps. Disruption of ocean food chains could increase the risk of hunger for the millions of people around the world who depend on ocean fish for their food and livelihood.
Kierán Suckling, executive director, Center for Biological Diversity:
Trump just confirmed his total contempt for our planet’s future. With this reckless rejection of international climate cooperation, the administration took a giant step toward turning our country into a rogue nation. Most Americans want global action against global warming, but Trump’s foreign policy seems aimed strictly at appeasing coal companies and the oil industry.”
8.27pm BST
20:27
Sanders calls move 'an international disgrace'
No, Trump has not spoken yet, but the reactions are flooding in.
Senator Bernie Sanders: ‘an international disgrace’
President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement is an abdication of American leadership and an international disgrace. At this moment, when climate change is already causing devastating harm around the world, we do not have the moral right to turn our backs on efforts to preserve this planet for future generations.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse: ‘betraying the country’
Trump is betraying the country, in the service of Breitbart fake news, the shameless fossil fuel industry, and the Koch brothers’ climate denial operation. It’s sad.
Erich Pica, president, Friends of the Earth US:
Today, Donald Trump turned the fate of the planet into a reality T.V. show hosted live from the White House Rose Garden. Trump’s grand reveal surprised no one; once again, he elevated Big Oil over our environment and the well-being of humanity.
History will harshly judge the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. By denying climate change and failing to act, Trump has put us on a path beset with increased famine, poverty, disease and death for millions of people in the U.S. and across the globe.
Jason Grumet, president, Bipartisan Policy Center:
Withdrawing from the Paris agreement will needlessly undermine U.S. relations with our allies and undercut international efforts to address climate change. Nearly 200 other nations will move forward with this agreement regardless of our participation. By exiting the process, President Trump forfeits America’s opportunity to shape the global economic transition that is already underway
8.23pm BST8.23pm BST
20:2320:23
The American Civil Liberties Union calls today’s move by Trump “a massive step back for racial justice”:The American Civil Liberties Union calls today’s move by Trump “a massive step back for racial justice”:
Pulling out of the Paris Agreement would be a massive step back for racial justice, and an assault on communities of color across the U.S.Pulling out of the Paris Agreement would be a massive step back for racial justice, and an assault on communities of color across the U.S.
8.21pm BST8.21pm BST
20:2120:21
Here’s that live stream again. So you have it handy:Here’s that live stream again. So you have it handy:
.@realdonaldtrump late to the planet's own funeral – live #actonclimate https://t.co/OWSCHfTtQe.@realdonaldtrump late to the planet's own funeral – live #actonclimate https://t.co/OWSCHfTtQe
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.22pm BSTat 8.22pm BST
8.16pm BST
20:16
Environmental groups have pointed out that the Trump administration’s executive orders setting aside Obama-era emissions caps and other environmental protections have represented an abandonment of the fight against climate change before today’s news.
Which means that should the next US president be sympathetic to the idea of re-joining the Paris accord (assuming it still exists), he/she will have more work to do than simply signing back on to this one deal.
Trump, per a source, will follow the 4-yr rule to get out of Paris, meaning the US will leave on Nov 4, 2020.Election Day 2020: Nov 3.
8.10pm BST
20:10
WH chief of staff Reince Priebus is wearing a green tie. Oh the irony. pic.twitter.com/JEPw9gFmz9
Priebus in green. What can it mean? Only one thing. Covfefe.
8.08pm BST
20:08
Today is a win for chief strategist Steve Bannon, who with Environmental Protection Administrator Scott Pruitt urged the president to jettison the Paris deal.
8.03pm BST
20:03
While we wait... here’s more from the band:
Military jazz quartet accompanying Trump's Paris pull-out announcement at WH: "Surreal...its like the Titanic band," 1 guy here says pic.twitter.com/LFqxOi4er0
8.01pm BST
20:01
White House talking points released – reports
Politico has published a document it says is the White House talking points for pulling out of the Paris accord.
The document squares with other reports about it. It reads:
Paris Accord – TALKERS
Topline: The Paris Accord is a BAD deal for Americans, and the President’s action today is keeping his campaign promise to put American workers first. The Accord was negotiated poorly by the Obama Administration and signed out of desperation. It frontloads costs on the American people to the detriment of our economy and job growth while extracting meaningless commitments from the world’s top global emitters, like China. The U.S. is already leading the world in energy production and doesn’t need a bad deal that will harm American workers.
UNDERMINES U.S. Competitiveness and Jobs
According to a study by NERA Consulting, meeting the Obama Administration’s requirements in the Paris Accord would cost the U.S. economy nearly $3 trillion over the next several decades.
By 2040, our economy would lose 6.5 million industrial sector jobs – including 3.1 million manufacturing sector jobs
It would effectively decapitate our coal industry, which now supplies about one-third of our electric power
The deal was negotiated BADLY, and extracts meaningless commitments from the world’s top polluters
The Obama-negotiated Accord imposes unrealistic targets on the U.S. for reducing our carbon emissions, while giving countries like China a free pass for years to come.
Under the Accord, China will actually increase emissions until 2030
The U.S. is ALREADY a Clean Energy and Oil & Gas Energy Leader; we can reduce our emissions and continue to produce American energy without the Paris Accord
America has already reduced its carbon-dioxide emissions dramatically.
Since 2006, CO2 emissions have declined by 12 percent, and are expected to continue to decline.
According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. is the leader in oil & gas production.
The agreement funds a UN Climate Slush Fund underwritten by American taxpayers
President Obama committed $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund - which is about 30 percent of the initial funding – without authorization from Congress
With $20 trillion in debt, the U.S. taxpayers should not be paying to subsidize other countries’ energy needs.
The deal also accomplishes LITTLE for the climate
According to researchers at MIT, if all member nations met their obligations, the impact on the climate would be negligible. The impacts have been estimated to be likely to reduce global temperature rise by less than .2 degrees Celsius in 2100.
7.56pm BST
19:56
Live stream: Trump withdraws from Paris deal
Via the White House on Youtube:
7.56pm BST
19:56
Trump to call Paris accord a 'BAD' deal
White House talking points obtained by The Associated Press say that the Paris accord “is a BAD deal for Americans” and that the president’s action would keep “his campaign promise to put American workers first”:
“The Accord,” the document goes on to say, “was negotiated poorly by the Obama Administration and signed out of desperation.”
“The U.S. is already leading the world in energy production and doesn’t need a bad deal that will harm American workers,” it reads.
The White House had signaled that withdrawal was likely, but Trump has been known to change his mind at the last minute on such major decisions.
7.54pm BST
19:54
A former Obama senior adviser says the notion that the United States was cornered into making a bad deal in Paris is wrong:
"Better deal" talk is incoherent. The U.S. sets its own Paris target.
7.50pm BST
19:50
David Smith
Guardian Washington correspondent David Smith is in the Rose Garden, where “a band is playing bouncy, upbeat jazz”:
“I hear the unmistakable notes of ‘Summertime, and the livin’ is easy’ (orchestral only, no singer). Strangely apt for global warming.”
Update: dig the bass:
They're playing smooth jazz in the Rose Garden ahead of the president's announcement on the Paris climate accord pic.twitter.com/bPt34W1HP5
Updated
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7.46pm BST
19:46
Reuters and the Washington Post are quoting from a document said to be Trump’s upcoming speech. They have this:
Trump to say decision to withdraw ‘is keeping his campaign promise to put American workers first’
Trump to say Paris climate agreement ‘front loads costs on American people’ - document
Trump to say that the accord was bad, negotiated poorly by Obama administration and signed out of desperation.