Sweden’s climate minister : U.S. withdrawal from Paris sends a bad signal
The Swedish government says it is a shame the USA is pulling out of the Paris Accord, but that the move away from fossil fuels will happen anyway.
“At the same time, it sends a very bad signal to the world that the US is not taking this leadership and living up to its responsibility,” Climate Minister Isabella Lövin, of the Green Party, told Swedish Radio.
She also said that the USA is the greatest contributor to the emissions that are warming the planet, and it has a duty to do something about it.
President Trump’s decision makes the USA look out of touch with the world and will make things harder for American businesses, said Lövin.
Sweden negotiated the Paris Agreement as part of the European Union, and the EU’s climate commissioner has already promised “global leadership” on the issue with the Chinese government also backing the deal.
But Minister Lövin is worried that countries with lower ambitions for cutting emissions can now point to the world’s biggest emitter, and say that if the US is not doing its share then why should they.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Arctic countries blast Trump decision to withdraw from Paris climate deal, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: U.S. pullout from Paris climate pact condemned by Finnish leaders, Yle News
Denmark/Greenland: Ice-Blog: Deciding Arctic future in Fairbanks and Bonn, blog by Irene Quaile, Deutsche Welle
Norway: As Arctic weather dramatically changes, world meteorologists take on more joint forecasting, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: 2016, warmest year on record in Russian Arctic, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Sweden’s climate minister worried about Trump’s stance on global warming, Radio Sweden
United States: Trump administration sought last-minute changes to soften Arctic Council climate-change commitment, Alaska Dispatch News
