Marrakesh (Morocco) (AFP) – Stunned participants at UN climate talks in Marrakesh insisted Wednesday that climate change denier Donald Trump cannot derail the global shift to clean energy, although some called his victory in US presidential elections a “disaster”.
Trump “cannot prevent the implementation” of the landmark Paris pact, inked in the French capital last December, said Segolene Royal, France’s environment minister and outgoing head of the UN climate forum.
“As I speak, 103 countries representing 70 percent of (greenhouse gas) emissions have ratified it, and he cannot — contrary to his assertions — undo the Paris Agreement,” she told French radio station RTL.
Trump has described global warming as a “hoax” perpetrated by the Chinese government, and has said at different times that he would “renegotiate” or “cancel” the 196-nation deal.
Royal noted that under the terms of the agreement, the United States must wait at least three years before seeking to withdraw.
UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa congratulated Trump on his victory in a statement.
“We look forward to engaging with his administration to take the climate action agenda forward for the benefit of the peoples of the globe,” she said.