US stand on Paris deal: UN climate official says 'respectful'

Amidst uncertainty over the US' continued participation in the Paris agreement, a top UN climate official said today the body is "respectful" of internal and national processes of various countries.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said this is an agenda which needs global efforts.
She said many states in the US too have shown commitments towards the agenda of addressing climate change.
"We are following what is happening in the US, but you can see also what is happening in every country around the world, this is an agenda which requires global effort.

"We are respectful of national and internal processes that take place worldwide. I have no further comment. We will wait and see what the results of those conversations are," she said while interacting with business leaders at FICCI here.
US President Donald Trump had recently signed an executive order to radically change his predecessor Barack Obama's climate policies, dealing a body blow to the international efforts to combat global warming.

Trump signed the order at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), keeping his campaign promise to support the coal industry.
Espinosa, who was on a two-day visit to India, her first after assuming the office of executive secretary in the UN body, said, "The global agenda is framed by governments but then it is also fed by actions of so many actors which includes sub-national authorities, city authorities, private sector investors, and this is also happening in the US."

"We have to be mindful that many states in the US has made very strong commitments in this agenda, that incredible number of big cities have made commitments, so many businesses are also addressing and embracing this agenda. The process of transformation of economies has started and it will continue to
go on," she said.
Elaborating on negotiations regarding the finalisation of the Rule Book for implementation of the Paris agreement, she said the negotiations still need to take place.
"It is extremely complex. We have 194 nations that have signed it (agreement). We do not know what is going to be the position of the US in these discussions but again we will have to find a way as we have done in the past also of bringing the minds of countries together.

"This is a party driven process. We in the Secretariat will try to provide guidance and support in order to ensure a successful outcome of the negotiations as soon as possible," she said.
Referring to the climate of uncertainty over the Paris agreement, she said without denying that there are certain facts which are giving rise to these uncertainties, especially with policies of the US, at the same time there are lot of things happening in the world which give a very clear sense of certainty and a clear sense of direction.
"This certainty comes from national governments, governments that have signed and ratified the Paris agreement. Today we have 143 countries which have ratified the agreement in just 16 months since the Paris agreement was signed," Espinosa said.