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United States President Donald Trump has said he will make his decision on the Paris climate accord early tomorrow morning, amid reports from local media that he is set to withdraw America from the global pact.
Key points:
- Announcement is expected at 5:00am AEST
- Trump has heard from people on "both sides" of issue, will announce decision "in next few days"
- Sources says Trump has already decided to withdraw US from deal
- Supporters of deal fear other countries may follow US lead
"I will be announcing my decision on Paris Accord, Thursday at 3:00 P.M. The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Mr Trump wrote on Twitter — which would be 5:00am AEST.
Earlier in the day, while responding to questions from reporters in the Oval Office, Mr Trump said he had been hearing from people on both sides of the issue, but declined to indicate whether he had made up his mind.
"I'm hearing from a lot of people, both ways. Both ways," Mr Trump said.
The tweets came after news reports quoted sources saying Mr Trump had decided to follow through on his campaign pledge to withdraw the US from the deal.
But a White House official told AP there may be "caveats in the language" that Mr Trump uses to announce the pull-out — leaving open the possibility that the decision is not final.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said: "When the President has a decision, he'll make that announcement and he'll make it clear what the basis of that is."
Asked if that meant Mr Trump had not made a final decision, Mr Spicer said: "I obviously don't know whether or not he's made it, but when he's ready to make an announcement, he'll make it clear."
Mr Trump had refused to endorse the landmark climate change accord at a summit of the G7 group of wealthy nations on Saturday, saying he needed more time to decide.
Only Nicaragua and Syria have not endorsed the deal
A decision to withdraw would put the US in league with Syria and Nicaragua as the world's only non-participants in the Paris Climate Agreement.
It could have sweeping implications for the deal, which relies heavily on the commitment of big polluter countries to reduce emissions of gases scientists blame for sea level rise, droughts and more frequent violent storms.
The accord, agreed on by nearly 200 countries in Paris in 2015, aims to limit planetary warming in part by slashing carbon dioxide and other emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
Under the pact, the US committed to reducing its emissions by 26 to 28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2025.
The Axios news outlet, which first reported that Mr Trump would withdraw, said details of the move were being worked out by a team including Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt.
The choice is between a formal withdrawal that could take three years, or leaving the UN treaty that the accord is based on, which would be quicker but more extreme, according to the Axios report.
Senators influence Trump decision
The decision to withdraw from the climate accord was influenced by a letter from 22 Republican US senators, including majority leader Mitch McConnell, calling for an exit, Axios reported.
Former president Barack Obama, who helped broker the accord, praised the deal during a trip to Europe this month.
The US is the world's second-biggest carbon dioxide emitter behind China.
Supporters of the climate pact are concerned that a US exit could lead other nations to weaken their commitments or also withdraw, softening an accord that scientists have said is critical to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.
Canada, the European Union, and China have said they will honour their commitments to the pact even if the US withdraws.
A source told Reuters that India had also indicated it would stick by the deal.
Mr Trump had vowed during his campaign to "cancel" the Paris deal within 100 days of becoming president, as part of an effort to bolster US oil and coal industries.
That promise helped rally supporters sharing his scepticism of global efforts to police US carbon emissions.
After taking office, however, Mr Trump faced pressure to stay in the deal from investors, international powers and business leaders, including some in the coal industry.
He also had to navigate a split among his advisers on the issue.
Reuters/AP
Topics: world-politics, donald-trump, climate-change, environment, environmental-policy, united-states
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