The summit ended Saturday. In its final statement, the overwhelming majority of participating nations -- 19 of 20 -- said they not only continue to support the agreement, but called the deal "irreversible."
The Leaders of the other G20 members state that the Paris Agreement is irreversible.
"We reiterate the importance of fulfilling the UNFCCC commitment by developed countries in providing means of implementation including financial resources to assist developing countries with respect to both mitigation and adaptation actions in line with Paris outcomes and note the OECD’s report “Investing in Climate, Investing in Growth," the statement says. "We reaffirm our strong commitment to the Paris Agreement, moving swiftly towards its full implementation in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances and, to this end, we agree to the G20 Hamburg Climate and Energy Action Plan for Growth as set out in the Annex."
The majority of nations also said "the adoption of the 2030 Agenda represented a milestone towards global sustainable development.
"We call on countries to work with stakeholders to strive towards its ambitious and integrated implementation and timely realization in accordance with national circumstances. We commit to further align our actions with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its integral part, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, domestically and internationally, including in support of developing
countries and the provision of public goods."
The other world leaders merely "took note" of the U.S. position.
"The United States of America states it will Endeavour to work closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently and help deploy renewable and other clean energy sources, given the importance of energy access and security in their nationally determined contribution."
Summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel,
said the U.S. position was "regrettable" but that the summit had achieved "good results in some areas," including trade.
Merkel also said the talks had been at times difficult.
She noted the summit's concluding statement was completed just hours before the summit’s end on Saturday, after particularly tough round of talks with Trump administration officials regarding climate change.
Merkel later dismissed hopes expressed by French president Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May and that the US could renew its commitment to Paris climate accord at a later date, saying she did not “share this optimism.”
But Gary Cohn, Trump's chief economic adviser,
told reporters flying back to the states aboard Air Force One that "a diversity of opinions in a group of 20" is simply par for the course.
"To get 20 of your friends to agree to have dinner tonight is pretty hard," Cohn said.
Cohn added that while the U.S. obviously has chosen to get out of the Paris agreement, "we do go out of our way to say in there that that doesn't mean we don't support the environment and we're still working for the environment."
For additional information:
