France says Paris accord on climate change is irreversible
(VOVWORLD) - The US has begun the process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, notifying the UN of its intention to leave, as other countries expressed regret and disappointment at the move.
 French President Emmanuel Macron (L) is in Shanghai for a major trade fair, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will give the keynote address. (Photo: REUTERS) |
The decision by the US - one of the world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases - drew condemnation from environmentalists and expressions of regret from world leaders. An official for France's presidential office said this only makes the Franco-Chinese partnership on the climate and biodiversity more necessary.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are due to meet in Beijing on Wednesday, where they are expected to sign a statement declaring the "irreversibility of the Paris accord", the official added. The Paris accord, agreed in 2015, committed the US and 187 other countries to keeping rising global temperatures below 2C above pre-industrial levels and attempting to limit them even more, to a 1.5C rise.