Pirate's Cove

Food for thought, which should probably make Warmists happy

It Looks Like The U.S. May Never Leave The Paris Climate Accord

Donald Trump may have vowed to take the United States out of the Paris climate accord, but you wouldn’t have known it based on the words of the negotiators he sent to the summit in Bonn to hammer out the rules of the agreement.

climate change joke

“The United States intends to remain engaged with our many partners and allies around the world on these issues, here in the U.N. Framework Convention and everywhere else,” Judith Garber, the U.S. acting assistant secretary of state for international environmental and scientific affairs told the other delegates on Thursday. She then listed off a litany of actions America is taking to fight climate change.

“President Trump has made clear the U.S. position with respect to the Paris Agreement,” she added. “Although he indicated that the United States intends to withdraw at the earliest opportunity, we remain open to the possibility of rejoining at a later date under terms more favorable to the American people.”

By the end of the summit, many were beginning to suspect that this will not be a question of re-joining. The U.S. may never leave in the first place.

When Donald Trump announced his decision in June, observers noted that out of several options to take the U.S. out of the accord, he chose the one that would take the longest. He could have declared Barack Obama’s decision to not put the agreement to the U.S. Congress (by not deeming it a “treaty”) to have been invalid. The Congress could have then rejected the agreement, taking the US out right away.

Instead, the Trump administration chose to go through the official process of withdrawal, which takes more than three years. The ‘earliest opportunity’ referred to by Garber just happens to be the day after the next U.S. presidential election in 2020. In the mean time, the US will continue sending delegates to take their seat at the table, “in order to ensure a level playing field that benefits and protects U.S. interests,” according to a State Department official.

He makes a good point: will this ever happen? Is there any intention to make leaving happen? Or, was this just a campaign promise that, like so many others from politicians, never comes to fruition? Might I have to photoshop Trump’s face into the clown photo above like I’ve done for others?