FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2017
CONTACT:
Stephen Kretzmann, steve [at] priceofoil [dot] org
David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil [dot] org
Reaction: Oil Change International responds to Trump pull out from Paris Agreement
This morning, multiple news agencies have reported that the Trump administration plans to officially pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement. Of course we are aware this administration is prone to impulsive decision-making. Nevertheless, in response, Stephen Kretzmann, Executive Director of Oil Change International released the following statement:
“America First? Trump just put America Last in the coming clean energy economy. So ends the so-called ‘American century’ of leadership. The decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement will go down in history as one of the most short-sighted, destructive, and malicious decisions of any American President ever. This is Bay of Pigs, lying about weapons of mass destruction level bad. Possibly worse.
“Trump’s withdrawal from Paris is nothing short of treason, as it places the interests of his petro-dictator pals and Big Oil buddies over the interests of almost all American citizens both present and future. This decision is going to cost Trump and his Petrocracy, as more and more Americans realize that draining the swamp actually meant drilling to the ends of the earth.
“The majority of Americans of both major parties support U.S. engagement in international action on global warming, and the majority of Americans oppose Donald Trump. We can, and will, work with that.”
Thuli Makama, Africa Senior Advisor at Oil Change International, commenting from Swaziland also responded:
“For vulnerable countries that are counting on the Paris Agreement for climate justice, this is confirmation that Donald Trump cares little about anyone beyond himself. Now world leaders must isolate Trump as the irrational leader he is showing to be and step up to ensure the Big Oil-sized void in the agreement is filled by those who are committed to a safe-climate future.
“Leaders from the African continent invested a great deal in the Paris agreement, not for the sake of the deal but for the sake of the future of our countries. Donald Trump has insulted the world with this move, but as we have seen in recent days with the G7, world leaders won’t hesitate to leave him behind.”
David Turnbull, Campaigns Director of Oil Change International added:
“This move is nothing more than a vengeful act to erase President Obama’s legacy. Pulling out of the Paris Agreement makes no sense diplomatically, strategically, or substantively. The Trump administration is running away from one of the most critical negotiations in the global community, and other countries won’t be quick to forget this.
“The rest of the world is moving ahead, with or without the United States in the mix. With this move, Trump has ceded global leadership to countries around the world like China, Germany, and France that are full-steam ahead on implementing the Paris Agreement and building a clean energy future.
“U.S. momentum to move away from fossil fuels may have hit a speed bump today, but tomorrow the rest of the world will step right back on the accelerator towards a cleaner, brighter future, leaving the U.S. behind in a cloud of fossil fueled pollution.”
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