[While the Paris Climate Agreement itself has been considered far less than satisfactory by the environmentalists, by and large; an outright torpedoing of the accord cannot be deemed anything but an unmitigated disaster for the humanity as a whole. That's the grim truth we're faced with today.
Just to recall, Trump had called climate change a "Chinese hoax". (He had tweeted: "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." See: <https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/265895292191248385?lang=en>.) Apparently, he still holds on to that and is thereby pushing the humanity to the very brink of extinction. That's a criminal act of humongous proportions.] I/II. [In a final communique, the Group of Seven industrialized countries said that the United States "is not in a position to join the consensus." The other six members reaffirmed their commitment to swiftly implement the 2015 accord to limit greenhouse gas emissions.] http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-fails-to-commit-to-paris-climate-agreement-as-he-concludes-first-overseas-trip-1704747 Donald Trump Fails To Commit To Paris Climate Agreement As He Concludes First Overseas Trip The G-7 summit marked the last stop of Trump's first overseas trip as president, a grueling nine-day tour that included high-level discussions in the Middle East and with NATO, as well as a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. World | © 2017 The Washington Post | Karen Deyoung, Philip Rucker, The Washington Post | Updated: May 28, 2017 08:17 IST Donald Trump tweeted that he would announce final decision on Paris climate agreement "next week." HIGHLIGHTS Will announce final decision 'next week', Donald Trump tweets Trump was on a 9-day trip; G-7 Summit was his last stop 'We have made extraordinary gains on this historic trip,' he said President Donald Trump failed to commit to remaining within the Paris climate agreement during a two-day meeting with world leaders that ended here Saturday, but he tweeted that he was still considering it and would announce a final decision "next week." ***In a final communique, the Group of Seven industrialized countries said that the United States "is not in a position to join the consensus." The other six members reaffirmed their commitment to swiftly implement the 2015 accord to limit greenhouse gas emissions.*** [Emphasis added.] The G-7 summit marked the last stop of Trump's first overseas trip as president, a grueling nine-day tour that included high-level discussions in the Middle East and with NATO, as well as a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. After leaving this picturesque town on the rugged Sicilian hillsides, Trump went by helicopter to the U.S. Naval Air Station at Sigonella on the island to board Air Force One for the flight home. He summed up his journey in a rousing campaign-style speech to assembled U.S. service members at the base, promising it would pave the way for "a lot of strength" and "a lot of peace." "From Saudi Arabia to Israel to NATO to the G-7, we made extraordinary gains on this historic trip to advance the security and prosperity of the United States, our friends and our allies," Trump said. "And we paved the way for a new era of cooperation among the nations of the world to defeat the common enemy of terrorism." Trump reflected on how many places he had visited, saying, "We have been gone for close to nine days . . . and I think we hit a home run, no matter where we are." Earlier, in an off-camera briefing for reporters, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn said of the climate discussions, "We're all trying to get to the right place, respectful of each other." He described a "very robust conversation . . . a lot of give and take" in discussions that included leaders from Japan, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Italy. Asked if Trump had given a sign of which way he was leaning on the accord, which he called a job killer and vowed to rip up during his campaign, Cohn said, "I don't know." After a first round of meetings Friday, Cohn, who favors retaining the agreement, had said Trump's position was "evolving." National security adviser H.R. McMaster, who joined the briefing with Cohn, said that Trump had "delivered on all three" of his core objectives for the trip: reaffirming American global leadership and alliances, solidifying "key relationships" with world leaders, and bringing a message of tolerance and unity against terrorism to Muslims, Jews and Christians. Both McMaster and Cohn refused to respond to questions about Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, the subject of a new controversy roiling Washington after a Washington Post article revealed that he had discussed with the Russian ambassador to the United States the possibility of establishing a back-channel line of communications with Russia. "I'm not prepared to talk about it," McMaster said, adding that he and Cohn were prepared to speak only about Trump's trip. Recounting what they described as successes over the past week, they noted pledges by Arab countries - made during Trump's first stop in Saudi Arabia - to step up their coordination in the fight against terrorism, including a renewed crackdown on militant financing and ending destructive Iranian activity in the region. Sunni Saudi Arabia, as well as other Sunni Muslim allies, is "America's strongest partner in the Muslim world and arguably . . . the strongest Muslim voice," McMaster said in a comment that may roil the Shiite minority that comprises about 15 percent of Muslims. Cohn spoke of the most "amazing deals that have really been made by an administration ever" that Trump had clinched in Riyadh, including both private-sector investments and arms sales. He put the total at "close to half a trillion" dollars, although the administration initially set it at $380 billion and did not provide details of the agreements. McMaster called "baseless" reports that European leaders were concerned about Trump's failure to restate the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the NATO charter during an alliance summit in Brussels. The provision pledges all 28 NATO members to treat an attack against any of them as an attack against all. "He did not make a decision not to say it. It was implicit in the speech," McMaster said of Trump's address to the alliance, in which he recalled that Article 5 had been invoked only once, following the September 2001 terrorist attack in the United States. "It's a matter of fact that the United States and the president stand firmly behind our Article 5 commitment," McMaster said. He said that "many of the allies" had privately approached him and the president to thank Trump for aggressively pressing NATO members to spend more on defense. On the climate agreement, Cohn said that he did not know where Trump was in his thinking on the issue. "What you're asking me to do is tell you what's inside the president's mind. I'm not qualified to do that," said Cohn, who has briefed the president numerous times on the issue and attended G-7 meetings about it. When asked why Trump had not held a news conference or spoken at any length with reporters accompanying him on his travels, Cohn said Trump had been working "nonstop." Presidents traditionally hold news conferences when they travel overseas. "One thing you have to admit," he said of Trump, "since he left last Friday, he has put in 14-, 15-, 18-, 20-hour" days of work. When it was pointed out that every other leader at the G-7 had scheduled a news conference at the conclusion of the meeting, Cohn, who was speaking in front of a television screen on which Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni was addressing the media and taking questions, Cohn said, "I'm not sure that's true." Not far from the summit meeting, which was held in a historic monastery-turned-luxury hotel on a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea, several thousand demonstrators had assembled in the town of Giardini Naxos to march toward police barricades. One group carried banners objecting to Europe's treatment of migrants from Africa and the Middle East. Another, calling itself "Women Against Trump," planned to protest what marchers said was the president's "sexism." By the time the protest march began weaving its way along a narrow, seaside street toward the heavily armed security presence, however, Trump had already left. Demonstrators who had expressed concern that their ranks were infiltrated by anarchist groups scattered as some among them pushed toward the barricades and Italian police began lobbying tear gas at them. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) II. [In an unusual admission, Group of Seven (G7) leaders have said in their final communique from a summit in Italy that they had failed to bridge differences over climate change with US President Donald Trump - and America was unable to join other countries in committing to the Paris Agreement.] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-g7-summit-latest-climate-change-consensus-paris-agreement-angela-merkel-a7759231.html G7 leaders blame US for failure to reach climate change agreement in unusually frank statement 'The entire discussion about climate was very difficult, if not to say very dissatisfying.' says German Chancellor Angela Merkel Griselda Vagnoni, John Irish Taormina, Italy 16 hours ago Mr Trump has said he needs more to time to decide whether to pull out of the Paris climate change agreement Evan Vucci/AP ***In an unusual admission, Group of Seven (G7) leaders have said in their final communique from a summit in Italy that they had failed to bridge differences over climate change with US President Donald Trump - and America was unable to join other countries in committing to the Paris Agreement.*** [Emphasis added.] “The United States of America is in the process of reviewing its policies on climate change and on the Paris Agreement and thus is not in a position to join the consensus on these topics,” the communique read. “Understanding this process, the heads of state and of government of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom and the presidents of the European Council and of the European Commission reaffirm their strong commitment to swiftly implement the Paris Agreement,” it added. 0:00 / 0:57 Donald Trump says Nato member states need to 'pay up' Under pressure from allies, Mr Trump backed a pledge to fight protectionism, but refused to endorse the global Paris climate change accord, saying he needed more time to decide, with European diplomats frustrated at having to revisit questions they hoped were long settled. Mr Trump, who has previously called global warming a hoax, tweeted that he would make a decision next week on whether to back the 2015 Paris Agreement on curbing carbon emissions following lengthy discussions with G7 partners. READ MORE Trump plays up his boorish side abroad as his support at home dwindles “The entire discussion about climate was very difficult, if not to say very dissatisfying,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. “There are no indications whether the United States will stay in the Paris Agreement or not.” Climate action groups were quick to condemn Mr Trump’s actions. Roberto Barbieri, Executive Director of Oxfam Italy, said: “President Trump, more than anyone else, has assumed the role of spoiler-in-chief - blocking agreement on many of these key concerns that affect millions of the world’s poorest people. “It is courageous that six of the G7 countries stood up to him and reaffirmed their commitment to deliver on the climate deal made in 2015,” he added. Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) said that Mr Trump “waffling” on the issue of whether to stay in or leave the accord was deeply damaging. “President Trump’s ‘climate inaction plan’ is a threat to every American’s health and future prosperity,” he said. In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 39 show all Some were more optimistic than Ms Merkel. French President Emmanuel Macron praised Mr Trump's “capacity to listen” and said “I found someone who is open and willing to deal well with us.” The new French president, said that “I saw a leader with strong opinions on a number of subjects, which I share in part — the fight against terrorism, the willingness to keep our place in the family of nations — and with whom I have disagreements that we spoke about very calmly. I saw someone who listens and who is willing to work.” Mr Macron said he told Trump that is “indispensable for the reputation of the United States and the interest of the Americans themselves that the United States remain committed” to the Paris agreement. There was also relief that Mr Trump agreed to language in the final G7 communique that pledged to fight protectionism and commits to a rules-based international trade system. During his election campaign last year, Mr Trump threatened unilateral tariffs on Mexican and Chinese goods and said he would quit the North American Free Trade agreement unless it is renegotiated to his liking. Earlier this week he called Germany “very bad” on trade because of its surplus with the United States. “In the end we convinced them to include the fight against protectionism in the final communique, so that was a step forward,” said one European diplomat, who declined to be named. 0:00 / 0:22 Thousands march against Trump in Belgium Meeting in a luxury hotel overlooking the Mediterranean sea, hosts Italy had hoped that the summit would focus on Europe's migration crisis and the problems of neighbouring Africa. The internal G7 divisions and a suicide bombing in Manchester on Monday, that killed 22, overshadowed the Italian agenda, but on Saturday five African leaders joined the world power leaders to discuss their continent's potential. Follow Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump I will make my final decision on the Paris Accord next week! 5:47 PM - 27 May 2017 · Taormina, Sicily 8,742 8,742 Retweets 41,752 41,752 likes Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou urged the G7 to take urgent measures to end the crisis in Libya — the point of departure for hundreds of thousands of refugees migrants looking for a better life in Europe. He also criticised them for not honouring aid promises to fight poverty in West Africa's poorest regions. “Be it Niger, a transit nation, or the countries of origin, it is only through development that we will prevent illegal migration,” Mr Issoufou said. Italy was disappointed not to receive more backing for its call to open up more legal channels for immigration to try to slow the flow of people risking their lives to reach Europe on flimsy boats from Libya. “There was very strong opposition by the Americans and British who wanted to refocus on security and water down the expansive language on freedom of movement,” said a European diplomat, who declined to be named. READ MORE Trump’s lawyer says Kushner is ready to talk to Russia investigators What Donald Trump's body language said about his trip to Europe G7 push Trump on climate change- but President makes no promises Trump's obsession with money means he will never live up to Obama The final communique was just six pages long, against 32 pages last year, with diplomats saying the leaders wanted a simpler document to help them reach a wider audience. After lengthy deliberation, the document included a separate threat, that was inserted into the 2016 G7 statement, to take additional action against Russia, if warranted, for its intervention in Ukraine. The European Union and the United States imposed sanctions on Russia after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and pledged to up the penalties if Russian interference in Ukraine intensified. Mr Trump's promise of warmer ties with Moscow had called into question the US commitment to sanctions. Diplomats said that on other key international issues, such as Syria and North Korea, there was broad G7 agreement. Security questions dominated initial G7 discussion on Friday and the leaders called on internet service providers and social media firms to “substantially increase” their efforts to rein in extremist content. Mr Trump is due to return to Washington later on Saturday at the end of a nine-day tour of the Middle East and Europe — his first foreign trip since taking office. Unlike other G7 leaders, he is not due to give a press conference before flying out. US officials said he had enjoyed “robust” conversations with his allies in Sicily and had also learnt a lot — especially in the debate on climate change. Reuters -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
