its america alone more than america first
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

At climate talks

it's America alone more than America first

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today it's America alone more than America first

Chicago demonstrators protest President Donald Trump's decision to exit the Paris climate change
Washington - AFP

Facing 195 other countries who have chosen a different path, the task of US negotiators at upcoming climate talks in Bonn is unenviable.

Donald Trump has vowed to exit the Paris Climate accord, just not yet, leaving US policy in limbo for the next three years until Washington can officially leave.

So, it falls to Thomas Shannon -- a respected career diplomat -- to this week lead a delegation into talks aimed at implementing an agreement the US is set to abandon.

"It is a strange situation, I don't think I have seen anything like it in my almost 30 years of following this process," said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a Washington-based non-profit working on environmental issues.

The Trump administration says it will still turn up, hoping to protect America's interests and put "America first."

Rather ambitiously, Washington wants to handcuff its biggest geopolitical rivals to their commitments.

A White House official told AFP it wants "to ensure the rules are transparent and fair, and apply to countries like China and other economic competitors to the United States."

But Shannon and his team might find themselves on shaky ground.

Ben Rhodes, a former aide to president Barack Obama, believes Washington has abandoned any leverage it once had.

"The rest of the world has no incentive to make concessions to the US since we are now entirely isolated," he told AFP.

"My expectation is that the rest of the world will simply continue within the Paris framework and wait and see what happens in the US in 2020.

"The danger is that other countries are less ambitious in their own commitments and implementation plans because they have the excuse of the US leaving," he added.

- Next election -

Many delegates will be hoping that by a November 4, 2020 deadline -- one day after the next presidential election -- Trump either backs down or a new president has embraced the agreement.

Either scenario is entirely possible.

The White House has given itself ample wiggle room, saying the United States intends to withdraw "unless the president can identify terms that are more favorable to American businesses, workers, and taxpayers."

That leaves open a broad range of possibilities that would not wreck the deal, including scaling back Obama's national plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 percent by 2025 compared to 2005 levels.

But for now, the most supportive American voices come from outside the administration -- in the cities, states and companies, many of whom will likely implement their requirements regardless.

Billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is on the front line of the Paris accord's cheerleaders, determined to help meet US commitments whatever the position of the White House.

"That's kind of a new plot here," said Meyer. "You did not have that kind of force in place when president Bush announced he was withdrawing from Kyoto in 2001."

The key question is whether they can keep the flame alive for another three years.

 

Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

its america alone more than america first its america alone more than america first

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

its america alone more than america first its america alone more than america first

 



GMT 15:36 2017 Monday ,09 January

Major EU-GCC meeting in Riyadh today

GMT 17:19 2016 Thursday ,22 December

KFMC surgeons remove 28 kg tumor from woman’s uterus

GMT 17:33 2017 Wednesday ,16 August

Damac reports decline in property development sales

GMT 09:16 2018 Monday ,01 January

Seoul leaning towards military measures

GMT 01:05 2017 Wednesday ,20 December

No guarantees on French-German initiative on Ukraine

GMT 21:00 2017 Sunday ,17 September

Saif bin Zayed approves adoption of 'Emirati Reader'

GMT 02:10 2017 Thursday ,05 January

Bahrain Stock Index Drops 3.47 Points

GMT 02:05 2017 Thursday ,28 September

July24th-August23rd

GMT 04:17 2017 Saturday ,11 November

Laulala out to prove All Blacks worth against France

GMT 02:42 2017 Friday ,14 July

NATO Tripoli strike kills civilians

GMT 05:47 2017 Wednesday ,18 January

Mohamed bin Zayed attends opening of ADSW 2017

GMT 05:40 2016 Saturday ,26 November

Oil falls 2% on OPEC cut uncertainty

GMT 16:48 2016 Tuesday ,11 October

Greek police escort refugee children to school

GMT 09:42 2017 Saturday ,12 August

Prince Charles Promoted to Highest Military Rank

GMT 13:07 2017 Monday ,25 September

Iran blocks all Iraqi Kurdistan flights
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday