US the outlier

On Saturday, world leaders wrapped up the G20 summit by releasing their final statement, a communique that stated the withdrawal from the US from Paris climate agreement was unfortunte. President Trump’s decision, which he announced in June, resulted in negotiations extending to Saturday. Towards the end of the press conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who hosted the summit in Hamburg, said she “deplored” the U.S. exit from the agreement.

The final statement

The final statement read: “We take note of the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from the Paris agreement.” But it also added a stern reminder that all other G20 members had reaffirmed the agreement as “irreversible.” In refusing to support the climate agreement, America is now the only country not signed onto the deal except for Syria, which is in the midst of a civil war, and Nicaragua, which believed the agreement wasn’t strong enough.

Analysis

Trump faced global outrage last month when he announced he would withdraw the United States from the agreement, which obliges countries to reduce their carbon emissions to ward off catastrophic global warming.

The G20 declaration noted the US withdrawal from the accord but said the country affirmed its "strong commitment to an approach that lowers emissions while supporting economic growth and improving energy security needs."

After the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin called climate change a "major issue" and said Merkel had reached a "good compromise."

British Prime Minister Theresa May said that she was dismayed at the US climate stance and that she had urged Trump to reconsider

The United States has threatened to impose new tariffs on steel imports, a position that prompted European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to threaten the same in return, raising fears of a trade war.

Assessment

Our assessment is that, with 19 of the 20 countries supporting the deal, President Trump has become an outlier in the big discussion. US is becoming more protectionist and for the first time it has come without positioning itself as a world leader. This is extremely risky for the US; like Trump has changed in many other matters, he might change his mind in this as well.