WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Obama never used the word "treaty" in describing the 195-nation Paris agreement, because the US Constitution requires all treaties to be confirmed by a two-thirds vote in the Senate.
"The left's anger about the Paris climate agreement should be directed at President Obama," Corker wrote in the statement via Twitter. "Unlike France and Germany, President Obama purposely chose not to have the Paris agreement ratified by the Senate."
If the Paris climate deal was so crucial to the future of the world, then Obama should have been willing to ratify it as a treaty, Corker noted.
The move has been widely criticized by many, including the Democrats, environmentalists and the international community.
Trump's decision continues his administration's attempts to reduce former US President Barack Obama's legacy to nothing following the moves to withdraw from the TPP free trade deal, as well as to review several environmental initiatives of the previous administration.
The Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in December 2015 at the 21st UN Climate Change Conference (COP21).
The deal aims to limit global average temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with parties to the deal agreeing to cut their emissions in accordance with the proposed plan. The agreement took effect November 4, 2016.
