Singapore reiterated its strong support for the Paris Agreement while Japan expressed regret over the U.S.’s announcement of its intention to withdraw from the climate change mitigation pact.
Meanwhile the Philippines is asking the U.S. to “reconsider” its decision, even as Indonesia insisted the U.S. announcement will not deter it from continuing its own climate change mitigation plans.
The reactions from Asian countries came after American President Donald Trump proclaimed June 1 he was withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, a step that fulfills his campaign promise while dampening global efforts to curb global warming.
He said the landmark 2015 pact imposed wildly unfair environmental standards on American businesses and workers. Trump further criticized the accord as being unfair because it allows China to “build hundreds of additional coal plants” and India to “double its coal production by 2020,” in what he said “transfers coal jobs out of America” and “ships them to foreign countries.”
In his remarks, Trump said he was open to re-brokering U.S. carbon reduction commitments, but didn’t express any urgency in bringing the U.S. back into the deal, which he claimed placed “draconian” financial burdens on the American people.
“We’re getting out,” he said. “And we will start to renegotiate and we’ll see if there’s a better deal. If we can, great. If we can’t, that’s fine.”
Asian gov’ts react
In a statement issued June 2, the Singapore government said it “reaffirms our commitment to the Paris Agreement and our Paris pledge.”
It said that “as a low-lying, island city-state, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change and we have a deep interest in global efforts to address potential disruptions to natural ecosystems and human societies. As a small country, we have also staunchly supported the rules-based multilateral system, and upheld the critical role of diplomacy in solving problems on the global commons.”
The statement further said that Singapore will continue contributing to the global effort to address climate change.
“We believe that a global approach towards dealing with climate change is the best chance the international community has at effectively addressing its effects. We remain committed to undertaking the measures needed to achieve our Paris pledge, including implementing a carbon tax from 2019. We stand ready to work with all Parties and stakeholders to address this urgent challenge together.”
Meanwhile, the Japanese government on June 2 expressed regret over Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, with Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida pledging to work with other countries to implement the pact.
While exploring ways to cooperate with the United States, Japan will “work with other parties to the Paris agreement for its steady and full implementation” to tackle the “important issue of climate change,” Kishida added, as quoted by Nikkei Asian Review.
The Philippines appealed to the U.S. to “reconsider their position” to withdraw from the landmark pact.
In a statement on June 2, the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission said it is “deeply troubled by the decision of the US to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and appeals that they reconsider their position.”
The commission also called on other countries that are parties to the agreement to “become even more vigilant” in making sure that the Paris Agreement achieves its goals, among them, to keep global temperature rise this century to below 2 degrees Celsius.
For Indonesia, the U.S. decision will not affect the climate change mitigation and adaptation programs carried out in the country, Environmental and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya stated.
Nurbaya asserted that Indonesia is determined to reduce its carbon emissions by 29% by 2030 even without any international assistance, Antara News reported.
The Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015 and entered into force November 4, 2016. To date, 147 parties out of 197 have ratified the pact.
Photo: Gyre
