WASHINGTON (November 7, 2017)—At the United Nations climate talks in Bonn, Germany today, Syria announced it will join the Paris Agreement leaving the United States as the only nation to say it will not participate in the global effort to tackle climate change. The announcement happened during a plenary session at the climate talks, also referred to as COP23, and further solidifies U.S. isolation on climate change issues that began to take hold at the G-7 and G-20 meetings earlier this year.
Below is a statement from Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and a leading expert on the United Nation’s international climate negotiations process, who is currently at COP23.
“Syria’s announcement that it will join the Paris Agreement leaves President Trump in not-so-splendid isolation as a result of his irresponsible and ignorant decision to withdraw the United States from the most comprehensive effort ever to confront the mounting climate crisis. Meanwhile, the groundswell of climate action by U.S. governors, mayors, companies and others is providing assurance to the rest of the world that President Trump doesn’t speak for most Americans on this issue.”