The UN chief today urged the US to re-engage with the 2015 Paris climate agreement even after America submitted its formal communication indicating its intention to withdraw from the historic pact as soon as possible. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has received a notification from the US expressing the country’s intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, his spokesman said.
The notification received yesterday was communicated by US Permanent Representative to the UN Nikki Haley. “The Secretary-General received, in his capacity as Depositary of the Paris Agreement, a communication from the Permanent Representative of the US expressing the intention of the US to exercise its right to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, as soon as it is eligible to do so under the Agreement, unless it identifies suitable terms for reengagement,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The Paris climate deal aims to prevent the Earth from heating up by 2C since the start of the industrial age. The spokesperson added that the secretary-general “welcomes any effort to reengage in the Paris Agreement by the United States”. The notification came two months after President Donald Trump announced his intention to leave the accord.