Trump plan to withdraw from Paris Agreement ‘disturbing’—PH envi group

US President Donald Trump. AP FILE PHOTO

A network of Filipino environmental advocates are calling on countries and US cities to unite and act against climate change following reports that US President Donald Trump is planning to pull out from the Paris Agreement.

READ: White House official: Trump plans to pull US from Paris climate deal

“It may be disturbing for the United States to leave the Paris Agreement, (while) the rest of the world are standing up,” said Climate Reality Project Philippines manager Rodne Rodiño Galicha.

“Grassroots communities shall hold their arms together and vulnerable countries like the Philippines shall continue demanding for climate justice,” he said in a statement Thursday.

The Philippines played an important role in the Paris climate negotiations in 2015 as leader of the Climate Vulnerable Forum at that time and the poster boy of countries affected by extreme weather brought about by climate change.

“While urging our own governments to sustain our commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, our villages, local governments and communities are beginning to take drastic actions to address climate crisis bottom-up,” Galicha said.

“We, therefore, strongly encourage counties and cities in the United States to join us acting on solutions, in solidarity,” he added. “Let us unite our efforts together, learning from the errors of the past, addressing the needs of the present and face the challenges of the future, within the carrying capacity of nature, without compromising the capacity of the next generations to survive.”

The Associated Press on Wednesday quoted an anonymous White House official saying Trump will pull out from the Paris agreement but will probably use language that may leave open the possibility he may change his mind.

The US is among the nearly 200 nations that agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change. JPV/rga