Tillerson signs international declaration recognizing climate change

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed on Thursday a declaration acknowledging the threat posed by climate change to the Arctic and indicating the need for action to curb its impact on the region.

The move appears at odds with the Trump administration’s broad skepticism of climate change and comes at a time when President Trump is weighing a potential withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on fighting its effects.

Tillerson signed the Fairbanks Declaration in Fairbanks, Alask,a at a meeting of the Arctic Council, a forum made up of indigenous groups and eight countries with territory bordering the Arctic Circle. 

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“In the United States, we are currently reviewing several important policies, including how the Trump administration will approach the issue of climate change,” Tillerson said at the meeting.

“We are appreciative that each of you has an important point of view, and you should know that we are taking the time to understand your concerns. We’re not going to rush to make a decision. We’re going to work to make the right decision for the United States.”

Trump and some of his top administration officials have expressed deep skepticism in climate change, despite overwhelming agreement among scientists that it is real and caused by humans. Trump himself has called the phenomenon a “hoax,” and vowed on the campaign trail to pull the U.S. out of the Paris agreement.