Sweden’s climate minister worried about Trump’s stance on global warming
Sweden’s Minister for Climate, Isabella Lövin, said the EU will take a more prominent role when it comes to climate change in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as US president.
Lövin, who is also deputy prime minister, told Swedish Radio “we should all be concerned” about statements Trump has made in which he called global warming a hoax.
“He has now appointed a known climate sceptic to review the US Environmental Protection Agency during the transition. It is very, very negative,” said Lövin, who is also spokesperson for the Green Party.
She was speaking before leaving for Marrakech in Morocco, where countries are gathered to discuss new rules to try to limit warming of the planet.
What’s the future of the COP21 agreement?
Trump has threatened to pull out of the Paris Agreement, which came into force this month and aims to keep global temperature rises below 2 degrees Celsius.
“We have 99.99 per cent of the world’s scientists saying climate change is man-made so it’s a solid base,” Lövin said. “The costs if we do not resolve the issue of climate change or slow warming will be tremendously expensive.”
Lövin said it was “too early” to know what Trump’s win would mean for the climate change agreement but was confident about the strength of the commitment from others.
“In light of the US elections, the EU is a key player in showing that there is a strong political momentum that we should not destroy our planet,” she said.
“This together with the fact it also now includes China, India, Australia, Canada, Latin America and Africa. We’ll see how it goes with US.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Trump’s election a cold reality check for Arctic, Blog by Mia Bennett
Denmark: Obama and Nordic leaders pledge Arctic cooperation, Alaska Dispatch News
Finland: UN rep. urges suspension of Sámi elections, Yle News
Greenland: Greenland, Alaska elections bolster Arctic resource extraction, Blog by Mia Bennett
Iceland: Iceland’s Pirate Party leads polls few days before elections, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Russian Foreign Ministry dismisses Supo property fears as Russophobia, Yle News
Sweden: Land, water rights big issues in Sweden’s Sami elections, Radio Sweden
United States: Here are a few things some Alaskans are hoping to get out of President-elect Trump, Alaska Dispatch News
