Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama played a critical role in negotiating the Paris agreement that seeks to keep rising global temperatures below 2C above pre-industrial levels and further to 1.5C.
A total of 188 countries, including the US have signed the accord but Trump has announced the US “will withdraw from the Paris climate accord”, claiming would cost millions of American jobs.
Under the Paris Accord, the US agreed to reduce emissions by between 26 per cent and 28 per cent of 2005 levels by 2025. Mr Trump, however, said America would stop adhering to the emissions reductions standards immediately, the Independent reported.
‘Misinformed’ decision
However, Mr Mahama in a series of tweets chastised Trump for his decision, describing it as “Unbelievable! A very sad day for global cooperation. Trump’s decision on climate change comes from a truly misinformed position.
“Like a flag changing direction with the wind, the world becomes a truly unpredictable place when such global treaties can be reversed by the electoral decisions of one nation.
He argued that the US is losing its world leadership, grounding his argument on the decision by Trump to seek US interest as against the world.
“We all worked hard to reach the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. US contributes 20% of CO2 pollution in the atmosphere… Sacrificing global interest to pander to a narrow domestic political base is eroding US leadership of the world,” Mahama said.
“We owe it to our children and future generations. The US has Just abdicated its leadership on a matter of critical global importance,” he added.
Notwithstanding, the former president said other signatories to the agreement would forge ahead in the interest of the future generation, saying “The rest of the world will forge on with the Paris agreement.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana