Obama rips Trump for failed 'leadership' as US backs out of Paris climate accords
Former President Barack Obama had harsh words for his successor in the White House after the president announced he had decided to pull the United States out of the historic climate deal Obama and more than 190 other nations' leaders entered before Trump took office.
Trump justified his decision to pull American support for the Paris climate accords as an important step in efforts to put "America first," listing ways in which the deal would limit American job growth in a series of big industries, including gas and oil.
But Obama directly disputed Trump's argument in his statement and criticized Trump, without naming him, for displaying an "absence" of leadership.
"Simply put, the private sector already chose a low-carbon future," the former president said in his statement. "And for the nations that committed themselves to that future, the Paris Agreement opened the floodgates for businesses, scientists, and engineers to unleash high-tech, low-carbon investment and innovation on an unprecedented scale."
"I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack. But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I am confident that our states, cities and business will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we've got," Obama added.
The United States joined Nicaragua and Syria as the only three nations on the planet who have openly refused to back the agreement.
Read the full text of Obama's statement below:
A year and a half ago, the world came together in Paris around the first-ever global agreement to set the world on a low-carbon course and protect the world we leave to our children.
It was steady, principled American leadership on the world stage that made that achievement possible. It was bold American ambition that encouraged dozens of other nations to set their sights higher as well. And what made that leadership and ambition possible was America's private innovation and public investment in growing industries like wind and solar -- industries that created some of the fastest new streams of good-paying jobs in recent years, and contributed to the longest streak of job creation in our history.
Simply put, the private sector already chose a low-carbon future. And for the nations that committed themselves to that future, the Paris Agreement opened the floodgates for businesses, scientists, and engineers to unleash high-tech, low-carbon investment and innovation on an unprecedented scale.
The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created. I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack. But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I am confident that our states, cities and business will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we've got.
