The Trump administration appears to be stonewalling the United Nations over questions related to how it plans to meet the goals of the Paris climate change agreement.
The UN released correspondence late Thursday night between U.N. members and U.S. State Department officials on specific policy changes the new administration plans to make affecting its commitments under the 2015 climate change deal.
The Trump administration’s basic response was that it is currently reviewing regulations set in motion under former President Barack Obama, and it has very little to say at this point as the review continues.
At the same time, the administration is also adamant that it will not support any policy that jeopardizes U.S. jobs and the nation’s economy. President Trump has said he does not support climate change policies that he believes erode economic growth and impede the nation’s fossil energy industries.
“The administration is reviewing existing policies and regulations in the context of a focus on strengthening U.S. economic growth and promoting jobs for American workers, and will not support policies or regulations that have adverse effects on energy independence and U.S. competitiveness,” read the administration’s response to most questions asked by member countries.
The document was released as Trump is expected to make a decision on whether to exit the Paris agreement as soon as next week. The document may provide insight into how the administration’s thinking is evolving on the issue of Paris, as the State Department reportedly has supported remaining a party to the agreement. That position may be changing.
In recent days, news reports said Trump is leaning toward exiting from the agreement because it has no workable way to reduce U.S. commitments while still remaining a party to the accord.
The State Department and other Trump confidants had floated the idea of staying in the deal, but reducing U.S. commitments made under the Obama administration. But the non-binding agreement does not allow countries to walk back their commitments to reduce emissions. It only allows nations to raise their ambitions to cut greenhouse gases by reducing use of fossil fuels and other means. Many scientists blame fossil fuel use for raising the temperature of the planet, resulting in more severe weather, drought and flooding.
Obama pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent by 2025, with a nearer-term target of cutting emissions 17 percent in 2020.
A number of countries asked specific questions about how the U.S. will cut emissions by 2025, and the status of key regulations on the U.S. utility and automotive sectors to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
The Trump administration responded by pointing out that in 2015, the same year the U.S. signed onto the deal, net U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell 11.5 percent below 2005 levels. U.S. emissions have fallen recently to 25-year lows due in part to an ongoing switch by electric utilities from coal to cleaner-burning natural gas. Natural gas is a fossil fuel with much lower carbon dioxide emissions. Because of fracking and the shale oil and gas boom, natural gas is the leading fuel for electric power generation in the United States.
