US Doesn't Back Paris Climate Agreement at G7 Summit

On Saturday, the final day of its summit, the countries of the G7 reaffirmed their strong commitment to the Paris climate agreement. That is, of course, except for the US. "I will make my final decision on the Paris Accord next week!" President Trump tweeted Saturday morning. ABC News reports Trump was pressured to remain in the climate agreement by the rest of the G7—Japan, the UK, Italy, Canada, France, and Germany—as well as by Pope Francis earlier in the week. Trump criticized the agreement during the campaign, and once called global warming a Chinese hoax, according to the AP.

G7 leaders counted it as a small victory that Trump didn't reject the agreement outright, and an EU official says they appreciated the chance to make their case, Politico reports. “We are sure that after an internal reflection, the United States will also want to commit to it,” ABC quotes Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni as saying. Trump's economic adviser, Gary Cohn, says the president's views on the Paris climate agreement are "evolving." Nearly 200 nations are part of the agreement signed by President Obama in 2015. The AP consulted more than two dozen climate scientists on what might happen if the US pulls out of the agreement. Experts fear more countries could follow, leading to rising seas and more extreme weather as the Earth more quickly reaches dangerous levels of warming. (More climate change stories.)