Here are some of the reactions to President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement...

President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, but will begin negotiations to "re-enter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction."

Trump says during a White House Rose Garden announcement that the U.S. will exit the landmark climate agreement aimed at reducing carbon emissions to slow climate change.

Trump says the deal "disadvantages" the U.S. and is causing lost jobs and lower wages.

The announcement fulfills one of Trump's top campaign pledges. But it also undermines world efforts to combat global warming.

The U.S. had agreed under former President Barack Obama to reduce emissions to 26 percent to 28 percent of 2005 levels by 2025 — about 1.6 billion tons.

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The entire Wyoming congressional delegation have issued statements on the move.

John Barrasso - “President Trump is keeping his word and getting America out of a bad deal,” said Barrasso. “The Paris climate agreement set unworkable targets that put America at a competitive disadvantage with other countries and would have raised energy costs for working families.

 Mike Enzi - “I applaud President Trump for making the decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. The choice by the former Administration to join the agreement without any input from Congress was disingenuous and irresponsible. The Constitution requires the Senate to advise and consent to any treaty made by the president.

“The Paris agreement demanded too much from our country while letting others, such as China and India, off the hook for years. It was a bad deal for America. I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to continue positive policy reforms that support American energy and our economy.”

Rep. Liz Cheney - “ I strongly support President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. This agreement imposed emissions standards that would have devastated America's fossil fuel industry with no measurable impact on the climate. The agreement was based on flawed science and its purpose was to kill our coal industry. President Trump  was right to pull out of this damaging agreement. While the benefits of today's decision will continue to be felt in Wyoming in the form of increased energy development, exploration and job creation our work is not finished. We must continue our efforts to roll back disastrous policies such as the Clean Power Plan, and other components of the Obama-era war on fossil fuels that have resulted in more regulation, higher costs, and government control of our energy sector in Wyoming and across America.”

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“This pact was signed by former President Obama without Congressional approval. Americans deserve clean air and a healthy economy. It's possible to have both by withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.”

Former President Barack Obama says the Trump administration is joining "a small handful of nations that reject the future" by withdrawing from the Paris climate change pact.

Obama is defending the deal that his administration painstakingly negotiated. He says the countries that stay in the Paris deal will "reap the benefits in "jobs and industries created." He says the U.S. should be "at the front of the pack."

The former president says in a statement that Trump's decision reflects "the absence of American leadership." But Obama says he's confident nonetheless that U.S. cities, states and businesses will fill the void by taking the lead on protecting the climate.

Obama says that businesses have chosen "a low-carbon future" and are already investing heavily in renewable sources like wind and solar.

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Former Vice President Al Gore is calling the decision to exit the Paris agreement "a reckless and indefensible action."

Gore says the move "undermines America's standing in the world." He released the statement as President Donald Trump was speaking at the White House Rose Garden.

The former vice president has defined his postgovernment life as a climate champion. He urges mayors, governors and the business community to take up where Trump is leaving off, especially by focusing on clean energy.

Gore says: "We are in the middle of a clean energy revolution that no single person or group can stop. President Trump's decision is profoundly in conflict with what the majority of Americans want from our president."

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Five Nordic countries have written a last-minute letter to President Donald Trump urging him to "make the right decision" and keep America signed onto the Paris climate accord.

The leaders of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden say the 2015 Paris Agreement to reduce global warming was a commitment "to our children."

In a letter sent hours before Trump was due to announce on Thursday whether the U.S. would pull out of the accord, the five leaders say the effects of global warming are already visible in all parts of our planet.

They say it's "crucial.. that all parties stick to the Paris Agreement."

The letter is signed "Your Nordic Friends" and urges Trump "to show global leadership - and to make the right decision."

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The Kremlin says Russia is committed to the Paris climate change accords.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, said that Russia "thinks highly" of the accords and there is no alternative to it. But he added that its implementation will not be as effective "without the key signatories." Peskov said Russia has yet to see what announcement Trump makes.

Putin is meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Thursday. Modi on Wednesday expressed India's commitment to fighting climate change and said it would be a "crime" to spoil the environment for future generations.

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says fighting climate change is a "global consensus" and an "international responsibility."

Speaking in Berlin about the Paris climate change accord, he said that "China in recent years has stayed true to its commitment."

Without mentioning the U.S. specifically, he said China has been "actively promoting the Paris agreement and we were one of the first countries to ratify the Paris agreement."

He added: "Fighting climate change is a global consensus, it's not invented by China... and we realize that this is a global consensus agreement and that as a big developing nation we should shoulder our international responsibility."

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China says it will work with the European Union to uphold the international agreement on climate change even if the U.S. pulls out.

President Donald Trump is expected to announce his decision on whether to abandon the Paris climate accord Thursday.

While not mentioning the U.S. by name, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying tells reporters climate change is a "global challenge" that no country can ignore.

At a regularly scheduled news conference Thursday, Hua said: "No matter whether other countries' positions may change, we will continue to uphold" a model of sustainable development. China is the top emitter of man-made carbon dioxide emissions, and the United States is second.

 

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