Vatican is Snubbed by Trump’s Decision to Leave Paris Climate Accord

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President Trump is believed to be influenced by U.S. oil lobbyists.

The Vatican scorned United States President Donald Trump over his decision to exit the US from the Paris Agreement. This pact was vital to combat climate change. The head of Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, had only harsh words for the president who chose to deal a crippling blow to the worldwide effort to protect the earth's environment. Sorondo said that the US exit is a hard slap for all participating countries. He added that it would be a disaster for everyone.

Vatican is Snubbed by Trump’s Decision to Leave Paris Climate Accord[/tweetthis]

The Paris accord was signed by almost 200 nations in 2015. The agreement was signed to slash emissions which a large number of scientists believe are a major contributor towards global warming. The United States, during President Barack Obama's tenure, was committed to a reduction of its own emissions by 2025, from 26 percent to 28 percent. The bishop believes that Trump was influenced by the U.S. oil lobby. They urged him to pull the United States out of this pact.

The Vatican, for its part, strongly supports the Paris-signed agreement on climate change. Pope Francis underlined the Vatican's support by gifting President Trump an encyclical where the pontiff wrote that urgent action must be taken to fight climate change. The encyclical gives an empirical overview of the pope's belief that human activity is to blame for the world's environmental crisis. The pontiff also wrote that world leaders must also act quickly to fight a worldwide problem. The result has grave implications.

The encyclical mentions that humanity must recognize the requirements for lifestyle changes, production changes, and consumption changes as well. These must be done to fight the specter of global warming, The leaders of the world must act quickly to confront a global problem carrying grave implications.

Not only the pontiff, but also Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State for the Vatican, requested Trump to stay within this Paris accord. The agreement asks participating countries to slash greenhouse gas emissions and was a favorite punching bag for the then presidential candidate during the 2016 presidential campaign. The US President has often referred to the man-made climate change as a kind of hoax perpetrated by the Chinese. 

The papal standpoint is that climate change is a spiritual and moral issue which affects the marginalized and the poor most of all. 

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