This week in climate change, Donald Trump told reporters he would renegotiate the international climate change deal struck in Paris in December 2015.
“I will be looking at that very, very seriously,” Trump said. “I will be renegotiating those agreements, at a minimum. And at a maximum I may do something else.”
Trump went on to say, “those agreements are one-sided agreements and they are bad for the United States.” He further insinuated the other heavy polluting nations who signed the deal wouldn’t stick to their end of the bargain.
“Not a big fan because other countries don’t adhere to it, and China doesn’t adhere to it, and China’s spewing into the atmosphere,” he said of the plan that strives to limit global rise in temperature to less than two degrees Celsius through a combination of actions, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. pledged to lower its emissions 26 to 28 percent of 2005 levels by 2025, and China pledged to halt increases in carbon emissions by 2030.
ClimateEye took a deeper dive into the climate change comments made by Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Trump’s newly anointed lead on energy and environmental policy. Read the full piece here, but as a snapshot, Cramer commented that, “while I’m a skeptic, as well, [Trump] is a product of political populism, and political populism believes that there needs [to be] some addressing of climate change.” With 56 percent of Trump’s supporters acknowledging the climate is changing and 49 percent saying the U.S. should reduce its emissions, connecting these dots could be critical in a Trump administration.
Cramer, a former utility regulator, has said that he believes a carbon tax is preferable to federal regulation in tackling emissions. “If in fact [Trump] wants a more carbon-restrained energy policy, he ought to work with real scientists and work with Congress to come up with a better one,” Cramer said. But Trump quickly shot down speculation that he would get behind a carbon tax, tweeting on Friday: “I will not support or endorse a carbon tax!”
Have you wondered how Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State and Senator Hillary Clinton differ on their climate change views? Check out our comparison.
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