U.S. President Donald Trump is set to announce Thursday whether the United States will pull out of the Paris climate accord, an agreement signed in 2015 by nearly 200 countries, including Canada, to fight global warming.
The White House signalled Trump would likely discard the global pact, fulfilling one of his principal campaign pledges in the process.
The Paris Accord is the latest attempt by the international community to fight climate change by reducing pollution by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
READ MORE: Donald Trump’s Paris pull-out would put Justin Trudeau, Canadian businesses on alert, critics warn
During Trump’s first foreign trip as president last week, he was pressed by European leaders and the pope to stay with the Paris Accord.
Trump has been skeptical in the past about climate change and global warning, and has referred to it as a “hoax” and “mythical.” The president has also put blame on China for creating the “concept of global warming.”
Here’s a roundup of some of the things Trump has said about climate change.
Trump blamed China for inventing it.
“The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”
“Let’s continue to destroy the competitiveness of our factories & manufacturing so we can fight mythical global warming. China is so happy!”
Trump has offered suggestions on why it’s called “climate change.”
“The weather has been so cold for so long that the global warming HOAXSTERS were forced to change the name to climate change to keep $ flow!”
“They changed the name from “global warming” to “climate change” after the term global warming just wasn’t working (it was too cold)!”
“Wow, record setting cold temperatures throughout large parts of the country. Must be global warming, I mean climate change!”
Trump has flat out called it “bulls**t”
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“Give me clean, beautiful and healthy air – not the same old climate change (global warming) bulls**t! I am tired of hearing this nonsense.”
…and “man made”
“The man made “climate change” that our “great” president should be focused on is of the NUCLEAR variety brought upon us because of weakness!”
…and a “hoax”
“NBC News just called it the great freeze – coldest weather in years. Is our country still spending money on the GLOBAL WARMING HOAX?”
“Snowing in Texas and Louisiana, record setting freezing temperatures throughout the country and beyond. Global warming is an expensive hoax!”
….and “STUPID”
“When will our country stop wasting money on global warming and so many other truly “STUPID” things and begin to focus on lower taxes?”
….and a “con”
“Wow, it’s snowing in Isreal and on the pyramids in Egypt. Are we still wasting billions on the global warming con? MAKE U.S. COMPETITIVE!”
Scientists say Earth is likely to reach more dangerous levels of warming sooner if the U.S. retreats from its pledge because America contributes so much to rising temperatures. Calculations suggest withdrawal could result in emissions of up to 3 billion tons of additional carbon dioxide in the air a year – enough to melt ice sheets faster, raise seas higher and trigger more extreme weather.
–with a file from the Associated Press
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