EU regrets U.S. withdrawal from climate deal, will seek other allies

[webfact]

EU regrets U.S. withdrawal from climate deal, will seek other allies

REUTERS
 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. and European Union flags are pictured during the visit of Vice President Mike Pence to the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said it deeply regretted the decision by the United States to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, saying it would seek new alliances to combat climate change.

 

"The EU deeply regrets the unilateral decision by the Trump administration to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement," the European Commission said after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his country's withdrawal from the deal.

 

"The EU will strengthen its existing partnerships and seek new alliances from the world's largest economies to the most vulnerable island states," the Commission added.

 

(Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; editing by Foo Yun Chee)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-02

[Chris Lawrence]

India and China are not pulling their weight? What is the EU doing to pull them into line; shouldn't this be the news. Or is it to hard to contemplate.

 

So what is the EU there for? A good week in a foreign country? All expenses paid for with secretary?

[darksidedog]

59 minutes ago, Chris Lawrence said:

India and China are not pulling their weight? What is the EU doing to pull them into line; shouldn't this be the news. Or is it to hard to contemplate.

 

So what is the EU there for? A good week in a foreign country? All expenses paid for with secretary?

India and China have agreed to pull their weight though. They have a far bigger challenge given the state of technology and development in their countries. In fact everyone has agreed to pull their weight, with the exception of Syria, a nation embroiled in civil war, Nicaragua, who wants to do more than the agreement calls for, and the US, a nation now in rapid decline on the world stage, whose respect is shrinking every day.

America can no longer be described as the leader of the free world. It cannot be trusted to keep its word and shows short term profit is more important than the very existence of our planet. History I am sure will have much to say about this stupid and deplorable piece of treachery. And treachery is the right word. Sold the planet out for a fistful of dollars.

[Usernames]

5 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

They have a far bigger challenge given the state of technology and development in their countries.

Wrong. Because the state of their (China and India's) technology is actually newer, as newly industrialized countries, and the fact that they are just now installing many new technologies, it should be much easier and less expensive for them.  They need not replace.  Just start from the beginning with more efficient and cleaner technologies.  Similar to the industrial advantage Germany enjoyed after World War II, when its bombed out infrastructure and industry was replaced with all new machinery and material (while the poor old British, btw, continued to lumber along with 19th century standards in many/most places). The fact is that China and India do not WANT to take this path, because they have a pollution advantage right now.  And they don't want to give it up. And they never will give it up. By 2030, they would have had all the cards.  Not now.

Edited June 2, 2017 by Usernames

[boomerangutang]

Another nail in the coffin of the US's reputation.  Thanks, Trump fans, for voting in the Russian-built Trojan horse - which has infected the White House.  The repercussions of Trump's bad decisions will reverberate longer than the investigations into his and his cronies' conspiracies to debilitate the USA.

[boomerangutang]

                               There are many more US jobs related to alternative clean energy, than there are jobs related to coal.  Trump, in his fathomless ignorance, is hurting job prospects for Americans.  Now, many of those alternative energy jobs will transfer to China, India and Europe.  Thanks Trump, you imbecile.

[darksidedog]

4 minutes ago, Usernames said:

Wrong. Because the state of their (China and India's) technology is actually newer, as newly industrialized countries, and the fact that they are just now installing many new technologies, it should be much easier and less expensive for them.  They need not replace.  Just start from the beginning with more efficient and cleaner technologies.  Similar to the industrial advantage Germany enjoyed after World War II, when its bombed out infrastructure and industry was replaced with all new machinery and material (while the poor old British, btw, continued to lumber along with 19th century standards in many/most places). The fact is that China and India do not WANT to take this path, because they have a pollution advantage right now.  And they don't want to give it up. And they never will give it up. By 2030, they would have had all the cards.  Not now.

I was talking about the massive amount of people in small rural communities way away from the big cities, who burn fossil fuels for everything. Thats like 300 million in India alone. America was half way there already, but now it chooses to go backwards, while the rest of the world at least tries to go forward.

[Usernames]

3 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

                               There are many more US jobs related to alternative clean energy, than there are jobs related to coal.  Trump, in his fathomless ignorance, is hurting job prospects for Americans.  Now, many of those alternative energy jobs will transfer to China, India and Europe.  Thanks Trump, you imbecile.

Why? There is nothing to stop the United States from implementing more efficient and cleaner energy technologies just because it has rejected a treaty.  American companies are already becoming cleaner and more energy efficient without this treaty or the requirement in it that Americans dole out money to every other country on the planet.

[boomerangutang]

24 minutes ago, Usernames said:

Why? There is nothing to stop the United States from implementing more efficient and cleaner energy technologies just because it has rejected a treaty.  American companies are already becoming cleaner and more energy efficient without this treaty or the requirement in it that Americans dole out money to every other country on the planet.

                           For many years, the US had its influence (in being at the vanguard of alt.energy) tarnished, because every time an American proposed clean energy solutions, some non-American would say something like, "WHO ARE YOU TO TELL THE REST OF THE WORLD about clean energy?!  Americans are the most polluting country on earth!"

 

                            Then, starting about 30 years ago, things have been gradually getting better.  America has started cleaning up its rivers and air and soil (remember 'Super Fund'?).   Concurrently, Americans are at the vanguard of many alt.energy innovations.  All is looking rosier.   ....until today.

 

                     Now, Trump has just fumbled the US back to the 2 yard defensive line.   The quarterback is in the end zone with bad wrists, supported by players who are billionaires with 65% fat between their ears.    

[Usernames]

1 minute ago, boomerangutang said:

                           For many years, the US had its influence (in being at the vanguard of alt.energy) tarnished, because every time an American proposed clean energy solutions, some non-American would say something like, "WHO ARE YOU TO TELL THE REST OF THE WORLD about clean energy?!  Americans are the most polluting country on earth!"

 

                            Then, starting about 30 years ago, things have been gradually getting better.  America has started cleaning up its rivers and air and soil (remember 'Super Fund'?).   Concurrently, Americans are at the vanguard of many alt.energy innovations.  All is looking rosier.   ....until today.

 

                     Now, Trump has just fumbled the US back to the 2 yard defensive line.   The quarterback is in the end zone with bad wrists, supported by players who are billionaires with 65% fat between their ears.    

You admit American industry has greatly improved its clean energy technology.  All without the Treaty. So, things are going fine in the US without the treaty.  What does the treaty do, then, that changes things for American industry? Answer, nothing.  All it does is try to mandate that the US give taxpayer dollars to just about every other country on the planet through a Green Fund. Obama already managed to self appropriate one billion dollars. No more.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

India and China have agreed to pull their weight though.

 

That doesn't mean they will.  

 

They'll agree to just about anything to get the concessions they want.  Then when they renege on their agreements, they throw out the "social harmony" and "national interest" arguments while giving their trade partners the finger.  They've been cherry picking WTO since they got in.

 

I haven't followed this (Paris) enough to know the details, but it seems our (US) trade negotiators take care of Coca Cola, Monsanto, wheat farmers and Halliburton.  Then they sign agreements that throw the rest of us under a bus, and have been doing it for decades.  

 

I'm hoping this is the start of a pushback against unfair agreements, and not abandonment of environmental agreements.

Edited June 2, 2017 by impulse

[IAMHERE]

Another topic on TV today says only America, Syria and Nicaraqua are not part of the climate agreement. That would mean that Europe doesn't have many potential allies to choose from.

[Aforek]

It's not only an american problem, it's a world problem, global warming and it's consequence have  no boundaries  , we need a world action, not only the small changes USA has done these last years  inside their own boundaries 

 

In Europe, it is expected that Spain will become a desert, because Sahara will expand, south of France more dry than before ; Thailand ? maybe not hotter, but more rains, like the other hot countries 

 

think of the next generations,  2 degrees C more, many things will change for the next centuries , sea level  higher  in Bangladesh and so on ;  don't be selfish and short sight like Trump 

[impulse]

12 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Another topic on TV today says only America, Syria and Nicaraqua are not part of the climate agreement. That would mean that Europe doesn't have many potential allies to choose from.

 

Dig a little deeper and see how many have signed on, but haven't lived up to their part of the agreement.  Then look at dozens of other agreements over the last few decades.  It's endemic.  (It's also one of the root problems of the Euro Zone)

 

At least the USA has the decency to pull out of the agreement, perhaps forcing some action.  I've got more respect for that than for a country that signs an agreement knowing they have no intention of holding up their end.  There's no fix for that.

 

BTW, that's not to say Trump has his heart in the right place.  Or a brain between his ears when it comes to the environment.

 

Edited June 2, 2017 by impulse

[Stargeezr]

America is not the most polluting country in the world, and if ou go t the USA or Canada you will

see the vehicles are very clean, as they have anti pollution systems built in to keep the air clean. then go to India

and see their polluting vehicles. For that fact go to most Asian countries and see just how much they do with

their vehicles to keep the pollution down. Go to Rssia for sure and see the pollution. Get your education first hand

before spouting off about any country.

Geezer

[Usernames]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I was talking about the massive amount of people in small rural communities way away from the big cities, who burn fossil fuels for everything. Thats like 300 million in India alone. America was half way there already, but now it chooses to go backwards, while the rest of the world at least tries to go forward.

Both China and India could take care of those hundreds of millions and supply them with other clean alternatives.  Instead, India is spending billions on sending rockets to Mars to do what has already been done several times over by other countries. Or China is spending billions to create artificial islands and claim territory it has no right to.  Giving them a pass until 2030 as the Paris Treaty does, means they can go on misallocating money to these areas.  And when 2030 finally hits, they'll turn up their hands and say, sorry, no can do.  Then, what?

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, Usernames said:

There is nothing to stop the United States from implementing more efficient and cleaner energy technologies just because it has rejected a treaty.  

It was not a treaty, only an agreement to pledge to take efforts to contribute to slow and ultimately reverse global warming. The mechanisms for each nation to accomplish such goals would be decided by each country according to the state of their economy and level of technology. As such Trump could have confirmed US support for the agreement with no recrimination or reversal of intent.

[Usernames]

21 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

The mechanisms for each nation to accomplish such goals would be decided by each country according to the state of their economy and level of technology.

This to me sounds like a toothless, useless "accord" that could then be ignored by anyone who wanted to.  Are you telling me the Paris Treaty was a completely worthless piece of virtue signalling?