G7 Leaders Walk Fine Line Between Trump and Paris Deal

As G7 leaders meet in Italy, can they reaffirm their commitment to action on climate change without driving the US out of the Paris accord?

The leaders of the G7 countries face a dilemma at a summit beginning on Friday in Sicily:  how hard they can push Donald Trump without pushing him right out of the Paris climate deal?

Trump has threatened to withdraw from the agreement, but is still making up his mind.  Two weeks ago, the White House said he was deferring his decision until after meeting with G7 leaders.

In recent years, the G7 has produced strong proclamations on climate change and decarbonisation, including a 2015 pledge to end all fossil fuel use by the end of the century.

But with the threat of a US withdrawal from the Paris agreement hanging over discussions in Taormina, leaders of the other major advanced economies may hesitate to insist on the strong affirmations of climate action the body has issued in the past.

“It’s quite clear that governments are not going to go to war with Trump,” said Tom Burke, chairman of E3G.  “You really wouldn’t want to run the risk of forcing him out of Paris… You wouldn’t want to put him in a situation where he could go back [to the US] saying you’re all ganging up on me, I’m leaving.”

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