Activists slam Trump over Paris Agreement withdrawal

Climate activists from Africa have condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, terming the move a significant setback in global efforts to combat climate change.

In a press statement sent to newsrooms, Amb Ali Mohamed, Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change said that the unilateral decision by President Trump to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement and promote polluting energy systems is a direct threat to global efforts to limit temperature rise and avert the catastrophic impacts of climate change, particularly for the world’s most vulnerable nations.

Abandoning commitments

“The US, one of the world’s largest carbon emitters, bears a historical responsibility to lead in climate action. By abandoning its commitments under the Paris Agreement, the US undermines years of hard-fought progress and sends a dangerous signal to the international community,” says Mohamed.

According to him, the removal of climate change references from the White House website, the advancement of fossil fuel projects, together with the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, risk undermining the collective progress achieved under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). For Africa and other developing countries, the implications are severe.

Africa, already on the frontline of the climate crisis, faces escalating droughts, floods, and extreme weather events that threaten lives and livelihoods, exacerbate food insecurity, and destabilise economies.

Unjust burden

The withdrawal of US leadership diminishes the critical financial and technical support required to adapt to these challenges, leaving vulnerable nations to bear an unjust burden.

“The new US administration’s anti-green energy policies not only threaten to increase global greenhouse gas emissions but also risk locking the world into a future of unsustainable energy dependency. These actions fly in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence urging immediate and drastic emissions reductions to secure a livable planet for future generations,” adds Mohammed.

However, despite the setback, Mohammed says the global climate movement remains resolute. Worldwide, countries, cities, businesses, and civil society are stepping up to fill the leadership void.