||| Davidepj | Dreamstime.com |||
President-elect Donald Trump recently revealed that he is maintaining an open mind when it comes to environmental issues. He also said that he plans to review the U.S.’ involvement in the Paris climate change agreement.
Prior to winning the election, Trump dismissed the issue of climate change as a hoax propagated by certain organizations and nations to limit the operations of American industries. But, during the past couple of weeks, Trump has carried out various steps toward prioritizing various environmental issues.
These include meeting with climate change advocates Leonardo DiCaprio and former Vice President Al Gore about the possible projects that the incoming administration could undertake in order to curb the country’s carbon emissions. His daughter, Ivanka Trump, who is expected to take on a huge role in Trump’s government, is reportedly interested in making environmental issues one of her key platforms, according to Politico.
As for the country’s role in the climate change agreement, which was established by the U.N. in 2015 in Paris, Trump noted that he’s open to the idea of honoring the pact.
During the conference last year, China and the U.S. have been identified as the largest global emitters due to their various industries. Through the agreement, these countries will enact policies to lessen carbon emissions.
Initially, Trump believed that the deal would hurt the production of the U.S.’ manufacturing industry, which could then translate into a dip in the national economy. But, after winning the election, it seems the incoming president has soften his stance on environmental issues and has stated that he is currently reviewing the parameters of the deal.
As noted by Trump, although he is still willing to honor the agreement, he will have to first make sure that it will not have an impact on the country’s industries.
“Now, Paris, I’m studying,” he said. “I do say this. I don’t want that agreement to put us at a competitive disadvantage with other counties. And as you know, there are different times and different time limits on that agreement.”
“I don’t want that to give China, or other cointries signing agreements, an advantage over us,” he added.
