Tillerson Says U.S. Could Stay in Paris Climate Accord

It takes four years for a country to withdraw from the Paris agreement, so the United States will be a party to the agreement until two days after Trump’s first term ends.

U.S. officials attended a meeting on Saturday of ministers from more than 30 of the nations that signed the climate change agreement.  The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that Trump administration officials said the United States would not pull out of the agreement and had offered to re-engage in the deal.

McMaster dismissed the report as inaccurate.  “He’s out of the Paris climate accord,” he told the “Fox News Sunday” program.

Tillerson said Gary Cohn, Trump’s top economic adviser, was overseeing the issue.

“So I think the plan is for director Cohn to consider other ways in which we can work with partners in the Paris Climate Accord.  We want to be productive.  We want to be helpful,” said.

Cohn has been part of the “stay-in” accord camp, which included Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.  Former chief strategist Steve Bannon was one of the main opponents of the accord before leaving the White House last month.

Trump has said the Paris accord is soft on leading polluters like China and India, putting U.S. industry at risk.

But the Republican president has shown flexibility on some campaign promises, and U.S. allies have been vocal on the importance of the climate accord.

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