By AFP - Agence France Presse
Global green energy push likely to continue despite Trump's climate retreat: UN.
By Elodie LE MAOU
Davos, Switzerland
Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement should not slow down the global momentum towards renewable energy investments that the deal created, the UN said on Wednesday.
“I believe that many countries will continue to move in the direction of green energy,” said Celeste Saulo, head of the climate and weather agency of the United Nations World Meteorological Organization.
Upon taking office on Monday, President Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement, adopted by 195 parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.
Critics warn that the move undermines global cooperation on reducing the use of fossil fuels and could weaken other countries' commitments to climate action.
But WMO chief Saulo said in a joint interview with AFP and Reuters that she did not believe the US withdrawal would slow down what is turning out to be lucrative investments in green energy.
The shift to renewable energy sources “is underway and (...) brings wealth to countries,” she said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos.
“That's not going to change.”
She doesn't “expect people to move away from investments that are very profitable and at the same time are green initiatives”.
“I think the movement and momentum that started with the Paris Agreement is there.”
Trump had already withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement in 2017, during his first term, only to see former Vice President Joe Biden re-enter when he took office in 2021.
Monday's announcement, on Trump's first day back in power, signaled that the United States would formally leave in a year, according to the rules of the agreement.
The announcement came at a time when average global temperatures have already hit record highs for 2024 and, in the last two years, have temporarily exceeded the critical warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius for the first time.
Asked about Trump's decision, Saulo said it was “a decision by a sovereign country, and we need to accept that”.
The WMO's focus now, she said, would be to “continue the... strong US collaboration and engagement” with the agency.
In particular, work to establish early warning systems for extreme weather events “should not be affected”, she said.
With the increase in extreme weather events, the UN said it wants to see every person on Earth protected by early warning systems by 2027 for floods, droughts, heatwaves, and storms.
Saulo highlighted the close cooperation between the WMO and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA's work was “quite impactful around the world,” she emphasized.
“I'm sure it will continue in the same vein because they are saving lives,” including using climate information to issue early warnings of impending disasters.
“I would say that the United States is one of the countries that uses climate information the most for decision-making,” she said.
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