Former Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday slammed President Trump’s “willful ignorance” in withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, calling it “self-destructive.”
“This is an unprecedented forfeiture of American leadership which will cost us influence, cost us jobs, and invite other countries to walk away from solving humanity’s most existential crisis,” Kerry said in a statement posted on Facebook.
“It isolates the United States after we had united the world,” Kerry continued. “For our economy, security, leadership, competitiveness, and health, the clear-cut choice was to remain in the Paris Agreement.”
“There is only one reason to instead make this choice: an ignorant, cynical appeal to an anti-science, special-interest faction far outside the mainstream. That is no basis for a decision that will affect billions of lives.”
{mosads}Trump announced on Thursday from the White House Rose Garden that the United States would exit the Obama-era accord that 195 nations agreed to in Paris in December 2015. Pulling out of the agreement was a major campaign promise for Trump.
Trump argued that the accord is “very unfair” to the country and said that he’ll “begin negotiations to re-enter.”
Former President Barack Obama sharply criticized the move Thursday, calling on states, cities and businesses to take the lead on combating climate change in the wake of the Trump administration’s move.
“The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created,” Obama said. “I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack.”
Kerry, who played a major role in the Obama administration’s push to secure the Paris accord, echoed the former president.
“Today is the day for cities, states, and businesses of all sizes to publicly commit to ‘Live by Paris,’ ” Kerry said in his statement.
“I urge concerned citizens across America to join in this effort. Together, we can join the world by honoring the Paris Agreement, despite President Trump’s willful ignorance,” he added.
Kerry had previously urged Trump to remain in the climate accord, calling on the president to think about the next generation and the “billions of grandkids will have to live with this decision.”