Trump vows to ‘cancel’ the Paris Agreement and ‘save’ the coal industry

Just hours after clinching the necessary number of delegates to become the Republican nominee, Donald Trump unveiled new energy plans that would see the US overhaul "draconian climate rules" in order to stimulate job growth in the oil and gas sector.


Speaking in Bismarck, North Dakota, Donald Trump revealed that he would ignite plans to tear down the US Environmental Protection Agency and cancel the recently established Paris Agreement, which more than 175 countries – including the US – have ratified.

“We’re going to rescind all the Obama administration job destroying action plans, including the Climate Action Plan and the Water of the US rule,” Trump said. “We’re going to save the coal industry, these are great people…We’re going to cancel the Paris Climate Agreement and stop all payments of US tax dollars to UN Global warming programmes.”

The stark warning, which was part of a prepared speech read off of a teleprompter, formed part of Trump’s 100 day action plan, which also included ideates to reopen negotiations over the controversial Keystone XL pipeline – which Democrat rival Hilary Clinton has vowed to block as part of her efforts to create a ‘clean energy superpower’ – as well as reviewing subsidised and expensive forms of wind energy that are “killing all the Golden Eagles” in California.

With 1,237 delegates now backing Trump as the Republican nominee, the warnings of former COP21 president Laurent Fabius, who claimed that a “climate change denier” as US president could “dramatically” threaten the Paris Agreement, could yet come to fruition.

Despite a State Department official claiming that the US would still meet its obligations under the Paris accord if Trump were elected, the presidential frontrunner’s determination to tear down the groundwork established by President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, creates further question marks over the potential 2C goal.

Trump’s wall

But in a twist of irony, the climate sceptic has announced plans to build another wall; this time in order to protect his seaside golf resort in County Clare, Ireland.

Trump, who has previously referred to global warming as an expensive hoax, wants to protect his resort from rising sea levels. This marks another case of Trump locking horns with planning permits, after losing an appeal to stop the construction of a wind farm near the resort on three separate occasions.

Matt Mace

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