Trump White House Refused to Sign G7 Statement Endorsing Paris Climate Treaty

The Trump White House refused to sign onto a statement that endorsed the Paris climate agreement.

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said the United States “is in the process of reviewing many of its policies and reserves its position on this issue, which will be communicated at a future date.”

Italy’s energy minister Carlo Calenda said that Italy and the other G7 members “reaffirmed their commitment towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement to effectively limit the increase in global temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial level.”

The Trump administration said that they would not sign the agreement endorsing the Paris agreement because the White House is still deciding whether to fulfill the president’s campaign promise. Energy Secretary Perry also wanted to include a statement supporting coal and natural gas.

After his meeting with other international diplomats, Perry said, “Therefore, we believe it is wise for countries to use and pursue highly efficient energy resources.” Perry also demanded a statement supporting “high efficiency, low-emission coal and natural gas with adequate financing from multi-lateral development banks and private sector investment.”

Italy hosted this year’s G7 meeting with Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom discussing international policy matters. Italian energy minister Calenda pushed the United States and other G7 members to endorse the Paris agreement in a policy statement countries usually sign after the end of the summit.

The United States and other United Nations members signed the Paris agreement in 2016 to lower carbon emissions. Obama committed the United States to cutting carbon emissions by 26 to 28 percent by 2025.

Trump promised to withdraw from the Paris agreement on the campaign trail and already signed executive orders to dismantle Obama-era climate change regulations.

The White House remains split on whether to withdraw from the Paris agreement. Ivanka Trump, White House aide Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson support the Paris agreement, while White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt want Trump to withdraw from the Paris agreement.

Americans for Limited Government President, Rick Manning, cheered President Trump’s refusal to endorse the Paris agreement at the G7 meeting. He said:

 “President Trump’s refusal to sign a statement endorsing the Paris climate accord is a positive step toward complete withdrawal from the agreement. The damage to the United States economy that enforcement of Obama’s Paris deal would make achieving the growth and prosperity that were at the heart of the President’s election campaign impossible. His actions today demonstrate his commitment to ending Obama’s radical environmental policies which resulted in the worst ten year GDP growth since the data has been collected including the Great Depression. Thank you, President Trump, for standing up for America’s economy and our workers against those who have embraced the Paris economic suicide pact.”

President Trump promised to withdraw from the Paris agreement on the campaign trail. Trump included withdrawing from the Paris agreement as part of his first 100-day America First energy plan. The Trump plan stated, “We’re going to cancel the Paris Climate Agreement and stop all payments of U.S. tax dollars to U.N. global warming programs.”