Macron will keep pressing Trump on climate

  • 09/07/2017
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte and US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte and US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Photo credit: Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron says he has not given up on trying to get Donald Trump to change his mind about withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate change agreement.

The final statement from the Group of 20 leaders meeting in Hamburg on Saturday exposed the divide that remains between the United States and other G20 members on the 2015 Paris accord aimed at combating climate change.

But Macron also said he would host a summit on December 12 to move the Paris deal forward.

"On December12, two years after the Paris [climate] agreement, I will therefore convene a summit to take further action on climate, notably on the financial front," Macron told reporters.

He said that the summit would aim to mobilise private and public financing for the projects committed to under the Paris agreement.

Asked if he was trying to persuade Trump to change his mind on the climate deal, Macro said: "I never despair to convince, because I think it is a duty, given my position, and it is a trait of my character."

Macron and Trump met during the G20 summit in Hamburg and Trump will travel to France for the Bastille Day military parade on July 14.

Reuters