Canada’s Trudeau says a second Trump presidency could harm climate goals

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an interview that if former President Trump were reelected, it could cause harm for climate goals.

Trudeau expressed to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that Trump’s term in office caused “very difficult problems” when he expressed a “desire to move backwards on climate change.”

“Yes, there’s concern — particularly around the environment, at a time where it’s so important to move forward on protecting and building an economy of the future where energy workers, miners, forestry workers across the country — and manufacturing across this country — continues to be successful as we move toward lower emissions,” Trudeau said.

“A Trump presidency that goes back on the fight against climate change would slow down the world’s progress in ways that are concerning to me,” he continued.

Trump has expressed skepticism about climate change, including a 2012 post suggesting it was created by China intended to hurt U.S. manufacturing. Other times, he has said he was “into climate” and considers himself “to be an environmentalist,” The Hill previously reported.

Trudeau said any administration he has worked with, which has now been three, and the United States’ interests has always been a challenge, but the Canadian government has always been able to work around and work through it.

The Prime Minister treaded lightly during Trump’s term in office, the CBC noted, carefully choosing what to say to avoid conflict with the country’s largest trading partner and ally.

When Trump announced he would be running for president again last year, Canadian officials said they intended to withhold comment, the CBC said.