Scientists Accuse Donald Trump of Putting UK 'National Security at Risk'

The US president has questioned the existence of climate change and has refused to rejoin the 2015 Paris climate accord, after pulling Washington out of the agreement in 2017.

Over 100 British scientists and climate change researchers have written an open letter to UK Prime Minister Theresa May, accusing Donald Trump’s inaction over climate change of putting Britain’s national security at risk, The Independent reported on Monday.

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Via the open letter, the scientists urged PM May to raise the issue with Trump during his three-day visit – his first official visit to the UK as head of state.

“As the US is the world’s second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, President Trump’s policy of inaction on climate change is putting at risk the UK’s national security and its interests overseas,” the letter reads.

The open letter addressed to PM May went on to note French President Emmanuel Macron’s public criticism of Trump over his climate change policy, and said the “UK should take advantage of its special relationship with the United States to show similar leadership,” warning that appeasing Trump was not in Britain’s interests.

Trump pulled the US out of the Paris climate accord in 2017, insisting that the deal, which is concerned with tackling the growing issue of climate change, was “very unfair to the US.”

Researchers warned that the UK is suffering the consequences of climate change, with rising average temperatures and unpredictable, sometimes chaotic, weather hitting parts of Britain.

“The UK is already being directly affected by the impacts of climate change: from 2000 onwards, it has experienced its nine warmest years and six of its seven wettest years since records began in 1910,” the letter, which was released amid an intense, prolonged heatwave in parts of the UK, added.

As a direct result of the US withdrawing from the historic climate deal, carbon emissions are expected to rise throughout America over the next few years, alarming many of the US’ European allies.

Trump will arrive in the UK later this week, and is expected to meet PM May at some point to discuss a number of pressing matters, including Britain’s defense spending, as he looks to get European NATO member states to contribute more to the military bloc.

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