The focus of last week’s G20 summit was world banking, and financial and economic stability, but the leaders of the nations that took part made climate change the focus of a statement issued at the conclusion of the gathering on Saturday.
The liberal media responded with headlines shouting that the whole world was united on the imminent danger of climate change, except for President Donald Trump who is alone in his rejection of the Paris climate accord:
• CNN: “G20 closes with rebuke to Trump’s climate change stance”
• UK Independent: “The G20 proves it. Because of Donald Trump, the world no longer looks to America for leadership”
• Yahoo News: “G20 summit shows Trump took U.S. from first to worst on climate change in under a year”
• ABC: “G20 leaders reaffirm support for climate change action and stand against United States”
• Toronto Sun: “Trump resisting climate change action at G20″
• UK Express: “G19 gang up on Donald Trump with dig at climate change at G20″
• Slate: “When it Comes to Climate Change, It’s G19 vs the United States”
“The final statement of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, underlined that the other countries and the European Union supported the Paris climate agreement rejected by Mr. Trump,” the AP reported.
“They called the deal to reduce greenhouse gases ‘irreversible’ and vowed to implement it quickly and without exception,” the AP reported.
“The other countries, from European powers such as Germany to emerging ones such as China and energy producers such as Saudi Arabia, merely ‘took note of the US position, which was boxed off in a separate paragraph.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel “made clear the separate paragraph applied only to the United States” and called the U.S. decision “regrettable.”
On June 1, Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris accord, signed onto by former President Barack Obama as an “executive agreement,” which did not have the approval needed from the U.S. Senate to put into place an international treaty.
Trump said his decision was made because the agreement would harm American businesses and workers.
“In order to fulfill my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens, the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord,” Trump said.
“I was elected by the citizens of Pittsburgh not Paris,” Trump concluded.