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EU ambassador in Uganda Schmidt baffled by Trump decision on climate
By Independent Reporter and AFP
Ambassador Kristian Schmidt, the European Union (EU) Head of Delegation to Uganda, has joined a chorus of world leaders to criticize US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.
Many of the world leaders and company executives took to Trump’s favourite social media platform twitter to slam his decision.
In a series of tweets, Ambassador Schmidt showed what he said would be the negative impact Trump’s decision would have on Uganda.
“The World’s 2nd largest CO2 emitter has left the building. So sad,” he tweeted, adding in another that “The #EU is fully committed to the #ParisAgreement. We will show global leadership, for the planet and for humanity.”
In other tweets, he said “#Uganda‘s magnificent glacier at Peak Margherita will disappear soon without #ParisAgreement.” He then showed the way forward, by sharing a picture of the mega Soroti Solar plant, saying “10MW #EU funded solar power plant, Soroti #Uganda. Renewable energy is the future. #ParisAgreement.”
Across the world, captains of industry, corporations and business groups distanced themselves from the White House on Thursday, as many expressed frustration with President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.
The reactions from across the business world — including oil producers, the tech sector and finance — stood apart from Trump’s portrayal of the decision as a needed corrective to rules that could stymie commerce.
The World’s 2nd largest CO2 emitter has left the building. So sad. #ParisAgreement @EUClimateAction pic.twitter.com/fGboJhB1is
— Kristian Schmidt (@EUAmbSchmidt) June 1, 2017
The #EU is fully committed to the #ParisAgreement. We will show global leadership, for the planet and for humanity. pic.twitter.com/6hri7iwVo7
— Kristian Schmidt (@EUAmbSchmidt) June 1, 2017
#Uganda‘s magnificent glacier at Peak Margherita will disappear soon without #ParisAgreement. pic.twitter.com/hpE1gBYmQo
— Kristian Schmidt (@EUAmbSchmidt) June 1, 2017
10MW #EU funded solar power plant, Soroti #Uganda. Renewable energy is the future. #ParisAgreement pic.twitter.com/NZczZLB1nc
— Kristian Schmidt (@EUAmbSchmidt) June 1, 2017
Goldman Sachs CEO defends Paris deal in first-ever tweet
Goldman Sachs, which has been a source of advisors to President Donald Trump, joined a chorus of big companies to criticize the US leader’s decision Thursday to exit the Paris climate agreement.
“Today’s decision is a setback for the environment and for the U.S.’s leadership position in the world,” Goldman Sachs chief executive Lloyd Blankfein said on Twitter.
It was the first Twitter post for Blankfein, who joined the social network six years ago. His statement was also retweeted on Goldman Sachs’s official account.
Blankfein supported Trump’s Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign, but he had expressed hope about Trump’s administration since the election.
The Trump administration has hired a number of former Goldman senior executives to fill top roles, including Blankfein’s former deputy Gary Cohn.
Cohn, the head of the president’s National Economic Council, had been seen as supporting the Paris agreement.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also worked previously at Goldman, as did White House strategist Steve Bannon.
Paris withdrawal sets business world at odds with Trump
Many tech and industrial sector representatives expressed frustration with the White House’s decision and pledged to continue working to combat global warming.
Tesla founder Elon Musk confirmed he would quit White House advisory councils on business in protest.
“Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world,” Musk wrote on Twitter shortly after Trump’s announcement.
Disney chief Robert Iger followed suit, saying he was resigning from the panels “as a matter of principle.”
“Disappointed with today’s decision on the Paris Agreement,” Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, wrote on Twitter. “Industry must now lead and not depend on government.”
The Information Technology Industry Council was equally scathing.
“This is clearly disappointing, and a setback for America’s leadership in the world,” ITI President Dean Garfield said in a statement.
“Despite this, the tech industry’s determination to innovate and problem-solve for the threats posed by climate change and generate clean energy opportunities that create jobs and grow our economy remains unchanged.”
In his first ever tweet, Goldman Sachs CEO Blankfein called the decision a “setback” for the environment and for US global leadership.
The statement created clashing appearances, with several former Goldman bankers having taken on important roles in the administration, including former Chief Operating Officer Gary Cohn, who was present for Trump’s announcement in the White House Rose Garden.
