Paris climate pact a bad deal for US: Trump administration

The Dollar Business Bureau 

Trump administration on Sunday labelled the Paris climate change agreement as a "bad deal" for the US; however, it underscored that the country would continue to take an active part in international climate change discussions.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, however, did not confirm whether the US would stay in the global climate change deal, under which almost all countries agreed to halt or curb their greenhouse gas emissions. Even the world's biggest emitter and the US’ opponent on the key global issues, China, reaffirmed its commitment to the agreement.

The statement comes ahead of the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visits to the US on April 6-7. Xi is due to meet the American President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Xi administration has pledged to remain in the agreement.

"To demonstrate the leadership that we have shown on this issue with China and India and other nations are very important and discussions should ensue, but what Paris represents is a bad deal for this country," Pruitt said on Fox News Sunday.

Analysts say that Trump administration is receiving feedback from fossil fuel companies about the pros and cons of this agreement.

Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that all the courtiers should move in one direction and take proactive measures towards the enforcement of this agreement."

Under the Paris climate agreement, each country including China and India has submitted a national strategy to meet emission reduction goals. Pruitt said China and India are the major beneficiaries of this agreement.

"When you look at what happened in Paris, at the Paris agreement and Paris accord, China and India weren't required to take any steps toward reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) until the year 2030. "That discussion, to think that China and India are more committed to the CO2 reduction in this country I think is quite false," Pruitt said.

Pruitt said the US can burn coal in a clean manner by the use of the technology and that the US should not have any commitment to say that fossil fuels are bad and renewables are good. “The US EPA and the US government should not pick winners and losers. That's what happened in the last several years," he said.