Donald Trump to press' Paris pact exit button

Washington: President Donald Trump plans to follow through on a campaign pledge to pull the United States out of a global pact to fight climate change, a source briefed on the decision told Reuters, a move that promises to deepen a rift with US allies.

White House officials cautioned that details were still being hammered out and that, although close, the decision on withdrawing from the international accord, agreed to by nearly 200 countries in Paris in 2015, was not finalised. Trump, who has previously called global warming a hoax, did not confirm the decision in a post on Twitter saying only, “I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days.”

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Trump was working out the terms of the planned withdrawal with Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt, an oil industry ally and climate change skeptic. “The President will make an announcement when he’s made a final decision,” one senior official said.

Trump refused to endorse the landmark climate change accord at a summit of the G7 group of wealthy nations on Saturday saying he needed more time to decide.

A decision to withdraw from the accord could further alienate American allies in Europe already wary of Trump and call into question US leadership and trustworthiness on one of the world's leading issues. A pullout also would be one more step by the Republican President to erase the legacy of his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, who helped broker the accord and praised it during a trip to Europe this month.

International leaders began reacting to the reports of Trump’s plans. A withdrawal by the US would be disappointing but the European Union stands ready to take global leadership on the issue, European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said in Brussels. “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,” Sefcovic added.

France’s ambassador to the US Gerard Araud said on Twitter that the Paris agreement “doesn’t infringe on US sovereignty” and noted that major American corporations had supported the deal.

Finland’s Prime Minister Juha Sipila said that a US withdrawal would be a big setback.

Quitting the Paris accord may not resonate with members of the Republican Party as much as his administration expects. A March Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll found that 50 per cent of Republicans agreed that the US should lead the global fight against climate change while 37 per cent disagreed and 13 percent were unsure.