Washington – French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the United States to return to the Paris climate agreements on Sunday, saying President Biden had “every reason” to rejoin the agreement and seek further cuts in the greenhouse gas emissions.
“It’s time to comply. It’s time to rush, and President Biden is absolutely right to do so,” Macron said in an interview with “Face the Nation” aired Sunday. “I think your president’s decision, in general, this year was very important. Welcome back. I was very happy because now the United States and the federal government have decided to come together again and commit.”
In 2017, then-President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate deal, citing unfair rules for U.S. companies and workers. Biden signed an executive order on the first day of office in January rejoining the 2015 agreement, which set targets for countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This week, Mr Biden is hosting a virtual summit with dozens of world leaders to discuss further actions to combat climate change.
While acclaiming Mr Biden’s moves, Macron acknowledged that many of the 184 countries that signed the agreement have failed to meet their own emission reduction targets.
“As Europeans, a few months ago we raised our targets for 2030 and 2050 because, in fact, we were lagging behind our targets. And now we need to accelerate because we are experiencing the first consequences of climate change basically,” said Macron.
China and India are the world’s top and third largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, respectively. When asked if these countries should make new commitments to reduce their emissions, Macron said they both improve their systems and are committed to reducing hydrofluorocarbons, which he said are even worse than dioxide emissions. of carbon.
“We need two things. We need to accelerate innovation and the ability to deliver. We need India and China to be with us,” Macron said. “We had a discussion with President Xi and I think we heard President Xi’s commitments on climate to work with the United States and Europe. First to accelerate his 2030 goal to have the largest emitter, and in some cities and some regions to do it better and faster “.
But achieving these goals would require rising carbon prices, Macron said, which could exacerbate social inequality. The French president said this dynamic was overlooked in 2018 when the country faced riots, protests and violence over a rise in fuel taxes.
“We need to help the middle classes and poor people make that change with us,” Macron said. “This is a comprehensive and inclusive agenda. I’m sure it is now. And I can tell you, with a lot of humility, that I am even safer because I made mistakes myself. “