In an interview with WW This Thursday (2), Ana Toni, Secretary of Climate Change at the Ministry of the Environment, expressed hope that the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, will reconsider the decision to withdraw the country from the Paris Agreement.
The Paris Agreement is a crucial document that establishes actions for signatory countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The possible US exit, announced by Trump during his campaign, worries global environmental authorities.
Impact of the American decision
Toni highlighted that, if the United States abandons the agreement again, the world is already prepared to deal with the situation. “This already happened when he was president for the first time, and the world continued, moving forward on the climate issue,” said the secretary.
The expert highlighted that the American absence from the agreement could affect the country’s own companies the most: “I think those who lost the most were exactly some of the American companies that were left behind in this energy transition.”
Resilience of climate commitment
Despite concerns about the US federal government’s position, Toni emphasized the crucial role of US states and the private sector in continuing decarbonization efforts. “Around 60% of all environmental legislation is in the hands of the States and not the federal government”, he explained.
The secretary also highlighted the importance of the participation of all countries in actions against climate change: “The climate issue is an issue that we need from all countries, there are 196 countries that, by consensus, try to walk together, because We know that carbon molecules have no boundaries.”
Ana Toni concluded by reiterating the hope that Trump will rethink his position, but assured that, if the US withdraws, the focus will be on intensifying engagement with subnational governments and the American private sector, which have demonstrated dynamism on environmental issues.
