US President Donald Trump has said he'll announce his decision on the Paris climate accord on Thursday. The European Union has said it stands ready to show leadership in the face of a possible US withdrawal.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Walsh
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US President Donald Trump will announce his decision on US participation in the Paris climate accord on Thursday, he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, sparking a flurry of international responses.
"You're going to find out very soon," Trump told reporters. "I'm hearing from a lot of people, both ways. Both ways."
After G7 talks last week, many fear that Trump will withdraw the United States from the pact. He campaigned on the notion that global warming is a hoax perpetrated by foreign rivals to hamper US trade. Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, had helped negotiate the accord in Paris in 2015.
An anonymous White House official told the Associated Press that Trump was expected to withdraw from the agreement, but said there may be "caveats in the language" that Trump uses, leaving open the possibility that a decision wouldn't be final.
Several US news outlets including Politico and Axios cited unnamed White House officials for reports that Trump was planning to pull out of the deal.
This is what climate change looks like
To prevent disaster, global warming must be limited to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius, climate experts say. Effects of climate change are plain to see - and they could be a taste of what's to come.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Flaming inferno
Some 10,500 firefighters were called to tackle forest fires in California in 2015. They were unable to prevent 1,400 homes from destruction. The blaze was fueled by hot and dry weather - as a result of climate change.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Vanishing hunting grounds
The polar bear has become a symbol of climate change, as its habitat is threatened by global warming. The Arctic predator hunts from ice sheets that are fast disappearing. As the ice retreats, they are unable to stalk their prey, and risk starvation. By 2050, scientists warn that the Arctic could be ice-free in summer.
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Needle in a haystack
Just visible from the air is a little wood hut on the island of Spitzbergen in Norway. It is home to the Arctic research base where French and German scientists are studying climatic and atmospheric changes in the polar region, including the damage done to permafrost and glacier systems.
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No use bleating
A goat watches a mountain expedition on the Swiss Aletsch Glacier, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was around a kilometer longer in 1860 than it is today. Due to global warming, the glacier is shrinking by up to 50 meters per year. With the rate of retreat increasing, scientists fear Europe's biggest glacier could disappear altogether.
Image: Reuters/D. Balibouse
Viewed from a safe distance …
… the landscape looks peaceful, bathed in a mystical light. But the actual situation is far more unsettling. This aerial view shows Central Luzon in the Philippines, completely flooded after it was hit by a typhoon and heavy rain. People were drowned or buried under landslides, and half a million were forced to flee their homes. The country is hit by 20 typhoons each year.
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When everything is lost …
… escape is all that's left. The World Bank warns that if global warming continues unimpeded, another 100 million people will be under threat. Poor people in parts of Africa and South Asia are at particular risk. Drought and flooding threaten crops - leading to hunger, disease and high food prices.
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Children carry the burden
Climate change often hits children the hardest, through no fault of their own. Studies have found that economic problems exacerbated by drought can have profound social impacts, such as in an increase in child marriages, for example. Families may marry off their underage daughters earlier to have fewer mouths they have to feed.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Malasig
'Renewable' elephants
Elephants produce huge quantities of manure. At Munich's Hellabrunn Zoo in Germany, one local utility is turning their waste into electric power. Around 2,000 tons of biowaste provides enough power for a hundred homes. Could this be a model for an African school? In any case, climate change is forcing new ways of thinking in the search for green energy.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Shipping out
The Rhine River is Europe's busiest waterway for shipping - but climate change is affecting business. Ongoing drought means shipping firms would be forced to use shorter vessels that can navigate shallower waters. If ships aren't able to set off, more goods have to be transported by road - which is more expensive.
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Pale as a ghost
Healthy coral reefs are like a blooming garden. But global warming is bleaching the life out of them. Corals have a symbiotic relationship with algae, which are vital to their health. But as the water heats up, they expel the algae. If warmer water temperatures persist, a lack of nutrients calcifies the corals, which makes their color fade and causes the organisms to die.
Image: imago/blickwinkel
Vineyards heading north
Global warming also has its benefits. In recent years, wine is being produced on Germany's northernmost island, Sylt. Ever more vineyards are being established at higher altitudes and further north - even Scandinavia now has some. Global warming also means earlier harvests and sweeter grapes.
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Axios reported that the White House would either withdraw through a formal process of leaving the agreement or by canceling the UN climate treaty on which the Paris deal is based.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer had refused on Wednesday to confirm whether the president already made a decision.
'Europe ready to show leadership'
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in Berlin that the European Union could not accept a US withdrawal.
"The Americans cannot get out of this climate protection agreement," he said.
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said in Brussels that a US withdrawal would be disappointing but that the European Union stands ready to take global leadership on the issue.
"If they decide to withdraw, it would be disappointing, but I do not believe this will change the course of history," Sefcovic said. "There is a much stronger expectation from our partners across the world from Africa, Asia and China that Europe should assume leadership in this effort and we are ready to do that."
He told Trump that there was "no plan B because there is no planet B."
Both the EU and China will reaffirm their commitment to the Paris climate change accord this week regardless of Trump's decision, Associated Press and AFP news agencies reported, citing senior EU officials and a draft joint statement.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was due to meet European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday with hopes of forging an answer to Trump's "America First" challenge.
'Big setback'
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the world to intensify action to combat climate change in a speech Tuesday.
"Climate change is undeniable. Climate change is unstoppable. Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable," he said.
France's ambassador to the US said on Wednesday that the Paris climate change deal does not infringe on US sovereignty.
"The Paris accord is a political agreement. It doesn't infringe on US sovereignty. National commitments are voluntary and may be amended," Ambassador Gerard Araud said in a tweet, adding that major American corporations had expressed their support for the deal.
Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila told his country's parliament Wednesday that a US withdrawal would be a big setback.
"If this is true, it is a big setback. Then, we must find partners to continue, because this work must not stop," he said, adding that climate change was a priority for Finland in the Arctic Council as well as the EU.
Martin Schulz, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, which forms a coalition government with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, said a US withdrawal would put European companies at a major competitive disadvantage. Schulz called for future free trade agreements to include stipulations on climate protection standards.
"Climate change is not a fairytale. It is a tough reality which affects peoples' daily lives," European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said in a statement.
"People die or are obliged to leave their homes because of desertification, lack of water, exposure to disease, extreme weather conditions. If we don't act swiftly and boldly, the huge human and economic cost will continue to increase," Tajani added.
Industry reacts
The US and China are the two biggest carbon dioxide emittersImage: Getty Images/K. Frayer
US coal company shares dipped alongside renewable energy stocks after Trump's announcement on Wednesday, reflecting concerns of a global backlash against coal interests should the US withdraw.
Tech entrepreneur and Tesla founder Elon Musk said Wednesday he would step down from Trump's business advisory councils if withdrew from the agreement, potentially deepening the rift between the tech world and the Trump administration, which have been at odds over immigration and other issues.
Climate change deniers in charge
Upon assuming the presidency, Trump set about installing climate change deniers to the US's highest environmental posts. He has been supported in his efforts by large corporations that deal and coal and petroleum and several prominent Republicans, including the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell.
The deal would limit warming through a concentrated effort to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. The United States is the world's second largest emitter, after China, which has four times the population.
Canada, China, the EU member states and other countries whose efforts to limit global warming are crucial have pledged to remain true to their commitments. At the moment, the only nations that have declined to endorse the pact agreed to by 195 countries are Nicaragua and Syria.
During last week's summits in Europe, international leaders and even Pope Francis urged Trump not to renege on the deal.
Donald Trump on Germany: Top quotes
The US president has offered praise and dished out criticism of Germany. Whether describing the chancellor as "the greatest" or claiming Berlin owes "vast sums of money" to the US, here are his most memorable quotes.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/C. May
The good, the bad and the ugly
US President Donald Trump has offered both candid praise and unabashed criticism of Germany and its policies. From calling German Chancellor Angela Merkel "possibly the greatest world leader" to describing her open-door refugee policy as a "catastrophic mistake," here are his most memorable quotes regarding Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/C. May
'Greatest'
"Germany's like sitting back silent, collecting money and making a fortune with probably the greatest leader in the world today, Merkel," Trump said in a 2015 interview with US news magazine Time.
Image: Picture alliance/AP Photo/M. Schreiber
'Very bad'
"The Germans are bad, very bad ... Look at the millions of cars they sell in the US. Terrible. We'll stop that," Trump said during a NATO leaders summit, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel, which cited sources at the alliance's meeting.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/E. Vucci
'Something in common'
"As far as wiretapping, I guess, by - you know - [the Obama] administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump said in March during a press conference with Merkel. He was referring to his unproven allegations that ex-President Barack Obama tapped his phone. There was widespread anger in Germany in 2013 when it was revealed the US National Security Agency tapped Merkel's phone.
Image: Picture alliance/R. Sachs/CNP
'Illegals'
"I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals (sic), you know taking all of the people from wherever they come from," Trump said in a joint interview published by German daily Bild and British newspaper The Times, referring to Merkel's open-door policy for refugees fleeing war and persecution.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
'Germany owes vast sums of money'
"Despite what you have heard from the fake news, I had a great meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO and the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany," Trump said in a two-tweet statement after meeting with Merkel for the first time in March 2017.
Image: Picture alliance/dpa/L. Mirgeler
'Turning their backs'
"The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition," Trump tweeted in the midst of a row within the German goverment. He went on to claim that: "Crime in Germany is way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!"
