French Ambassador to the UN: US Withdrawal from Climate Agreement Marks Birth of Multipolar World

The French Ambassador to the United Nations states that the United States' withdrawal from the climate change agreement, which was led by Washington, is "practically the birth point of a multipolar world" and signifies the end of the US's role as "the most reliable guarantor of the global order." François Delattre's remarks coincide with the signing of an agreement between the Chinese government and the state of California to collaborate on reducing greenhouse gas emissions; an agreement that occurs outside the cooperation between the US federal government and other countries. Mr. Delattre criticized Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, stating that the US President is on the "wrong side of history." The French Ambassador noted that this action means that the United States is "no longer the most reliable guarantor of the global order." On June 1, Trump announced that despite the efforts of Washington's European allies, the US would exit the Paris climate agreement. According to the US President, the country is "starting new negotiations to see if a fair agreement can be achieved." Donald Trump claims that this agreement is "costly for the American people" and, based on a study, implementing this treaty would eliminate more than 2.5 million jobs in the country by 2025. Some supporters of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement praised Trump's action, stating it aligns with his electoral promises to "prioritize American domestic interests." The US exit from the Paris Agreement has faced widespread reactions both domestically and internationally. However, the French Ambassador to the UN stated that this action "goes beyond climate change policies" and can be viewed as "a factor in analyzing the political and moral leadership of the United States." Nonetheless, supporters of the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement criticized the negotiations and the agreement reached, with some, including Republican Senator James Inhofe, stating that Trump's action "proves that his administration prioritizes the fundamental interests of hardworking Americans over the beliefs of environmental extremists." The Paris Agreement was reached in 2015 after years of negotiations and the inability of world leaders to achieve a comprehensive pact to combat climate change and greenhouse gas emissions; at that time, Barack Obama was the President of the United States. The long-term goal of the agreement is to prevent the Earth's temperature from rising more than "2 degrees Celsius." To achieve this goal, countries around the world agreed to implement policies to quickly curb greenhouse gas emissions. However, it is expected that only developed countries will truly succeed in reaching this goal. The agreement called for wealthy countries to assist poorer countries in achieving their greenhouse gas reduction targets. It also asked countries to voluntarily join this collective. Before the US withdrawal, all countries in the world had joined the agreement except for Syria and Nicaragua. China and the US produce nearly 38 percent of the world's total greenhouse gases.