MOSCOW (Sputnik) — There are different options for climate policy that could be discussed during the G20 summit despite the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.
"There are various options that can be discussed," Merkel said, when asked about US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the Paris Climate Accord and the "confrontation" with Trump on the topic of climate change.
The German chancellor added that the issue of environment protection and climate would play an important role during the summit, stressing that the discussions would not be simple.
The Paris climate agreement was adopted in December 2015. Signed by over 190 countries and ratified by nearly 150, the accord came into force in November 2016. It stipulates that that all parties to the agreement should reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to maintain the increase in average global temperature at below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Trump, who repeatedly criticized the agreement during his election campaign as potentially dangerous for the US economy and employment, announced his country’s withdrawal from the agreement on June 1. The US president also expressed readiness to renegotiate the agreement under new terms that would be more favorable for the United States.
