Climate Change News 2017: U.S. Still Withdrawing From Paris Climate Accord, Despite Reports
Re-Entering 'A Better Deal' for the U.S. Possible, However
The United States is still withdrawing from the Paris agreement, at least until the carbon emissions pact is revised to be more amenable to the nation's interests. Staying in the accord is not out of the realm of possibility if that happens, as the Secretary of State said on Sunday, Sep.17.
Rex Tillerson shared with "Face the Nation" viewers a hint at the current direction of the Trump administration when it comes to climate change. He said that the President can still work with other members of the Paris agreement for terms that are more favorable for Americans, according to Reuters.
The United States could even stay in the agreement, "under the right conditions," as the Secretary of State answered in the CBS show.
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Elsewhere, national security adviser H.R. McMaster has been saying something similar. "He left the door open to re-entering at some later time if there can be a better deal for the United States," he said, when the subject of the Paris agreement was brought up in ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
"If there's an agreement that benefits the American people, certainly," McMaster added.
These statements come right after the Trump administration solidified its stance on leaving the climate change accord. White House spokesperson Lindsay Walters affirmed that there has been no change in Trump's position about the agreement.
"As the President has made abundantly clear, the United States is withdrawing unless we can re-enter on terms that are more favorable to our country," Walters said on Saturday, according to CNN.
A previous report by the Wall Street Journal, via MSN News, suggested that Donald Trump's Administration may be looking to avoid pulling out of the 2015 accord, a promise he made during his campaign.
McMaster describes the report as mistaken to the "Fox News Sunday" show. "He's out of the Paris climate accord," he said, referring to Trump.
