Obama jabs at Trump’s lack of ‘commitment’ on climate change

Former President Obama slammed the Trump administration on environmental sustainability on Wednesday.

While delivering remarks to business leaders in Oslo, Norway, Obama said the world needs “political and social commitment” in order to achieve sustainability, The Associated Press reported.

“Unfortunately we have a U.S administration that deals differently around these issues,” he reportedly said to a crowd of laughter at the Oslo Business Forum.

{mosads}“The single highest priority that I see globally at this point is the issue of environmental sustainability,” he continued, while also adding that the Paris climate agreement is “a first step in the right direction. But only the first step.”

Obama went on to say that environmental sustainability can only be achieved when leaders adopt new technologies.

“But that takes political and social commitment that right now is not forthcoming,” Obama added.

The AP reported that Obama did not use President Trump’s name.

The Paris climate agreement took force under the Obama administration in 2016, starting an ambitious worldwide effort to combat climate change. The move was widely regarded as a major victory for Obama at the time. 

Trump formally announced he would withdraw the U.S. from the pact last year, an act that separated the U.S. from most of the world on climate change. Trump said then that the climate change agreement was “unfair at the highest level to the United States.”

Obama’s remarks on Wednesday arrive as the Trump administration continues to roll back major environmental rules implemented during his presidency.