Energy

Germany Weakens G20 Climate Plan To Appease Trump, But Will It Work?

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Tim Pearce Energy Reporter
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Germany made enormous cuts in clean energy goals in the latest draft of the G20 Climate Plan while embracing gas as a “clean technology” to lure President Donald Trump into signing the agreement, Climate Home reported Thursday.

Germany’s plan, drafted in May, is expected to be reviewed and changed before the July 7 and 8 G20 Summit. The draft’s latest edits show a large willingness of the Germans to cater to Trump’s agenda, however, according to Climate Home.

“The US massively weakened the language in the energy part of the action plan,” one source with knowledge of the negotiations told Climate Home. “It pushed for references to so-called ‘clean’ fossil fuels and made it less explicit that the energy transition has to be built on energy efficiency and renewables.”

Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have disputed energy priorities before.

Trump announced June 1 that the United States was pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, a non-binding agreement between 195 countries to reduce carbon emissions to combat global warming.

“In order to fulfill my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens, the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord but begin negotiations to reenter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States, its businesses, its workers, its people, its taxpayers,” Trump said.

Merkel joined with the leaders of France and Italy to condemn the move, saying the agreement could not be renegotiated.

It’s not clear what effect Trump’s announcement will have on the G20 Summit as Germany drafted the latest plan before the United States withdrawal was announced.

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