As the U.S. leaves Paris climate accord, some see shifts in global leadership
By Carol Morello and John Wagner June 1 at 3:49 PM
In ditching the Paris accord on climate change, President Trump has cemented his reputation as the international disrupter in chief with the latest in a string of decisions that foreign policy analysts believe could have profound consequences for U.S. global leadership.
The decision to exit the Paris agreement is sure to anger many of the almost 200 nations that signed the commitment to reduce emissions. In one sign of shifting alliances, the European Union and China were expected to issue a joint statement Friday vowing to take a leading role in stemming climate change. China in particular is expected to fill any leadership vacuum created by the U.S. retreat, both in climate change and trade.
“It’s going to seriously complicate any effort President Trump makes to build a counterterrorism coalition or mobilize the West on any set of policy issues,” said Bruce Jones, director of the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution. “It’s an odd calculation,” he said. “They gain nothing from leaving and lose a lot.”
Abandoning the 2015 accord championed by the Obama administration reflects Trump’s disdain for big, multilateral agreements and alliances, an opinion he expressed often on the campaign trail and followed through in office by ditching the Trans-Pacific Partnership, threatening to leave the North American Free Trade Agreement and upbraiding NATO allies.
more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/as-the-us-leaves-paris-climate-accord-some-see-shifts-in-global-leadership/2017/06/01/4c916554-4634-11e7-a196-a1bb629f64cb_story.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
