Mr. Arias Cañete insisted the Paris Agreement “will endure,”
and he said the “world can continue to count on Europe for global leadership in the fight against climate change.”
Premier Li Keqiang of China, in Berlin for meetings with Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Thursday before Mr. Trump’s decision
that his country remained committed to the fight against climate change and to participating in international efforts for a greener world.
“But where national action falters, as we see in the U. S.A. tonight, we see more
and more city governments stepping up to provide the leadership we urgently need.”
Mary Robinson, a former United Nations special envoy for climate change, said in a biting statement: “The U.
S. reneging on its commitment to the Paris Agreement renders it a rogue state on the international stage.”
Argentine Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, told the Italian daily La Repubblica
that a withdrawal from the agreement amounted to “a disaster for everyone.”
President Trump will withdraw the United States from the first worldwide deal to address global warming.
“The Secretary-General remains confident that cities, states and businesses within the United States — along with other countries — will continue to demonstrate vision and leadership by working for the low-carbon, resilient economic growth
that will create quality jobs and markets for 21st century prosperity.”
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the United Nations special envoy for indigenous people, called Mr. Trump’s decision “shortsighted.”
“We are already seeing climate change destroy lives, livelihoods and entire communities,” she said.
