EU on Trump’s Paris withdrawal: ‘Sad day for the global community’

The European Union’s top climate action official vowed on Thursday that Europe would stand by the Paris climate deal, calling President Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement “a sad day for the global community.”

“Today is a sad day for the global community, as a key partner turns its back on the fight against climate change,” EU Climate Action and Energy Commission Miguel Arias Cañete said in a statement.

“The Paris Agreement will endure,” he added. “The world can continue to count on Europe for global leadership in the fight against climate change. Europe will lead through ambitious climate policies and through continued support to the poor and vulnerable.”

{mosads}In light of Trump’s decision to pull out of the pact, Cañete said the EU would look to partner with U.S. businesses and communities that have supported the agreement and would seek new partnerships with other countries.

Cañete’s comments echoed those of other leading advocates of the Paris agreement, who called on the private sector and local governments in the U.S. to take the reins on climate action. 

Trump announced on Thursday that the U.S. would leave the 195-country Paris climate pact, fulfilling a high-profile campaign promise and taking his most drastic action yet to unravel Obama-era climate and environmental policies.

The U.S. withdrawal could significantly weaken the agreement and prompt other countries to follow the U.S.’s lead and back out of the deal. 

“Today’s announcement has galvanised us rather than weakened us, and this vacuum will be filled by new broad committed leadership,” Cañete said. “Europe and its strong partners all around the world are ready to lead the way.”