NATION/WORLD
Friday, June 2, 2017
Trump pulls U.S. from global
warming accord, to allies’ dismay
By JILL COLVIN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Pres-
ident Donald Trump declared
Thursday he was pulling the
U.S. from the landmark Paris
climate agreement, striking
a major blow to worldwide
efforts to combat global
warming and distancing the
country from its closest allies
abroad. Framing his decision
as “a reassertion of America’s
sovereignty,” Trump said he
was “elected to represent the
citizens of Pittsburgh, not
Paris.”
He said the U.S. could
try to re-enter the deal under
more favorable terms or work
to establish “an entirely new
transaction.” But he indicated
that was hardly a priority. “If
we can, great. If we can’t,
that’s fine,” he said.
Scientists say Earth is
likely to reach more dangerous
levels of warming sooner
as a result of the president’s
decision because America’s
pollution contributes so much
to rising temperatures. Calcu-
lations suggest withdrawal
could result in emissions of
up to 3 billion tons of addi-
tional carbon dioxide a year
— enough to melt ice sheets
faster, raise seas higher and
trigger more extreme weather.
By
abandoning
the
world’s chief effort to slow
the tide of planetary warming,
Trump was fulfilling a top
campaign pledge after weeks
of building up suspense over
his decision.
The White House indi-
cated it would follow the
lengthy exit process outlined
in the deal. That means the
U.S. would remain in the
agreement, at least formally,
for another three-and-a-half
years, ensuring the issue
remains alive in the next
presidential election.
However, Trump declared,
emphasizing every word: “As
of today, the United States
will cease all implementation
of the nonbinding Paris
accord.”
He is breaking from many
of America’s staunchest
allies, who have expressed
alarm about the decision.
“I was elected
to represent
the citizens
of Pittsburgh,
not Paris.”
— Donald Trump,
President of the United States
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
President Donald Trump speaks about the U.S. role in
the Paris climate change accord, Thursday in the Rose
Garden of the White House in Washington.
European leaders: Climate
change deal can’t be renegotiated
BERLIN (AP) — Top European leaders pledged
Thursday to keep fighting against global warming as U.S.
President Donald Trump announced he was pulling out of
the Paris climate accord, but they rejected his suggestion
that the deal could later be renegotiated.
The leaders of France, Germany and Italy said in
a joint statement that they regretted the United States’
decision to withdraw from the accord, but affirmed “our
strongest commitment” to implement its measures and
encouraged “all our partners to speed up their action to
combat climate change.”
While Trump said the United States would be willing
to rejoin the accord if it could obtain more favorable
terms, the three European leaders said the agreement
cannot be renegotiated, “since it is a vital instrument for
our planet, societies and economics.”
Several of his top aides also
opposed the action, including
his daughter Ivanka Trump.
Under former President
Barack Obama, the U.S. had
agreed under the accord to
reduce polluting emissions
by more than a quarter below
2005 levels by 2025. But the
national targets are voluntary,
leaving room for the U.S. and
the nearly 200 other countries
in the agreement to alter their
commitments.
The White House said
Trump spoke with the leaders
of Germany, France, Canada
and Britain Thursday to
explain his decision and
reassured them that the
U.S. is committed to the
trans-Atlantic alliance and
“robust efforts to protect the
environment.”
At home, the U.S. Confer-
ence of Mayors strongly
opposed the decision and
said the nation’s mayors will
continue efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions
blamed for global warming.
Responding to Trump’s
pointing to his city, Pittsburgh
Mayor Bill Peduto called
the decision “disastrous for
our planet, for cities such as
Pittsburgh,” and a step that
“has made America weaker
and the world less safe.”
In a rare statement on his
successor’s policies, Obama
said: “Even in the absence of
American leadership; even
as this administration joins a
small handful of nations that
reject the future, I’m confi-
dent that our states, cities, and
businesses will step up and
do even more to lead the way,
and help protect for future
generations the one planet
we’ve got.”
Business leaders, normally
strong supporters of Repub-
lican initiatives, had vigor-
ously appealed to Trump not
to abandon the agreement.
Many economists believe
the accord would likely help
create about as many jobs in
renewable energy as it might
cost in polluting industries.
The president, however,
argued the agreement had
disadvantaged the U.S. “to
the exclusive benefit of other
countries,” leaving American
businesses and taxpayers to
absorb the cost.
The immediate impact
of Trump’s move could be
largely symbolic. The White
House said the U.S. will stop
contributing to the United
Nations Green Climate
Fund and will stop reporting
carbon data as required by
the Paris accord, although
domestic regulations require
that reporting anyway. The
decision has no direct impact
on major U.S. regulations on
power plants and car rules
currently aimed at reducing
carbon emissions, although
those are currently under
review by Trump as well.
“This agreement is less
about the climate and more
about other countries gaining
a financial advantage over the
United States,” Trump said.
Congressional Republi-
cans applauded the decision,
with
Senate
Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell of
Kentucky saying Trump had
“put families and jobs ahead
of left-wing ideology and
should be commended.”
But House Democratic
leader Nancy Pelosi of Cali-
fornia called it “a stunning
abdication of American
leadership and a grave threat
to our planet’s future.”
East Oregonian
Page 9A
BRIEFLY
Wisconsin mill that exploded
had been reprimanded on safety
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin corn mill that
exploded late Wednesday night was reprimanded by federal
safety inspectors six years ago for not taking precautions
against dust explosions, which are a major hazard in
handling grain, records show.
The blast at the Didion Milling Plant in Cambria, a
rural village about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) northeast of
Madison, left at least two people dead. Columbia County
Sheriff Dennis Richards confirmed the body of the second
worker was found late Thursday afternoon. Emergency
crews were still searching for a third worker. Nearly a dozen
other employees were taken to area hospitals. None of the
workers have been identified.
The cause of the blast remained unknown as of Thursday
afternoon, Didion officials said. U.S. Occupational Safety
and Health Administration investigators were on the scene.
At a news conference Thursday evening, Cambria
Fire Chief Cody Doucette said a smaller fire occurred in a
different part of the facility on Monday. Investigators were
working to determine whether there was a link between that
fire and Wednesday night’s explosion, Doucette said.
Mayor: Puerto Rican militant to
step aside from parade role
NEW YORK (AP) — A Puerto Rican nationalist
recently freed from prison has agreed to step aside from any
formal role in New York City’s Puerto Rican Day parade,
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday.
“Oscar Lopez Rivera agreeing to step aside from
any formal role in the parade is a critical step forward
in refocusing our city’s attention on the more important
issues facing Puerto Rico,” the Democratic mayor said in a
statement.
Parade organizers had planned to honor Oscar Lopez
Rivera, a member of the Armed Forces of National
Liberation, or FALN, which claimed responsibility for more
than 100 bombings in the 1970s and 1980s.
Lopez Rivera was not charged with carrying out any
of the bombings himself, but he was convicted of charges
including seditious conspiracy and served more than 35
years in prison before his sentence was commuted by
Democratic President Barack Obama.
The parade’s decision to honor Lopez prompted
sponsors including Coca-Cola, JetBlue and AT&T to drop
out of the June 11 march up Fifth Avenue. Democratic Gov.
Andrew Cuomo also said he wouldn’t be marching.
Science Says: Weather forecasts
improve, under the radar
WASHINGTON (AP) — Make fun of the weatherman
if you want but modern forecasts have quietly, by degrees,
become much better.
Meteorologists are now as good with their five-day
forecasts as they were with their three-day forecasts in
2005. Both government and private weather forecasting
companies are approaching the point where they get
tomorrow’s high temperature right nearly 80 percent of
the time. It was 66 percent 11 years ago, according to
ForecastWatch, a private firm that rates accuracy of weather
forecasts.
That may not always be appreciated, especially if your
livelihood depends on getting rain and snow amounts, and
timing, just right, all the time. “They don’t know what’s
going to happen,” complained Washington taxi driver
Antenhe Lashitew. He makes more money when it rains or
snows, so he wants them to be more precise.