A congressman said Wednesday the Paris agreement can be salvaged if the Trump administration moderates some of what it is expected to achieve.
Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota told reporters Tuesday evening that he was “impressed” with White House advisers who suggest the climate agreement is not necessarily dead on arrival. Cramer is one of President Donald Trump’s key energy advisers.
“I can imagine that the State Department likes the diplomacy of us being in it,” he told reporters, referring to what the congressman sees as the Paris deal’s primary advantages.
White House advisers like Jared Kushner support staying in the agreement and are pushing for plans allowing the U.S. to stay in the deal while weakening former President Barack Obama’s promises reducing greenhouse gas levels.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, for his part, also indicated a willingness to stay in the agreement, which was forged between the U.S. and U.N. members. Reports show 200 countries have reaffirmed pledges to comply with the Paris deal, which aims to keep so-called global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
“I can imagine that just as Americans want the issue of emissions to be dealt with, so does the world. But I also think the world is relieved that they don’t have a climate worshipper in the White House setting impossible goals.”
Trump, meanwhile, has made no such considerations. In fact, the former real estate tycoon made dismantling the beleaguered agreement a central part of his campaign message during the 2016 presidential election.
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