Emmanuel Macron tells Donald Trump he'll defend 'important' Paris climate change deal

Emmanuel Macron tells Donald Trump he'll defend 'important' Paris climate change deal


French President-elect Emmanuel Macron has told his US counterpart Donald Trump in a telephone call that he will defend the climate change deal agreed in Paris in 2015, his spokeswoman says.
Key points:

• Mr Macron vowed to protect the deal during a congratulatory phone call from Mr Trump
• Mr Trump has previously said he will not let the climate targets stop him from creating jobs in US
• In March, Mr Trump signed an executive order eliminating numerous Obama-era restrictions on fossil fuel production

"He is going to protect the climate change agreement, and he is going to make sure he will be vigilant in protecting the French people," Laurence Haim told CNN.
"[Climate change] is a very important and sensitive issue for the French. He told him [Mr Trump] that he will protect what was made in Paris," she said.
Ms Haim said during the leaders' 10-minute conversation, they also discussed issues including the fight against terrorism, transatlantic relations, and the economy.

Mr Trump had called Mr Macron to congratulate him.
He also tweeted congratulations to Mr Macron on Sunday, saying he looked forward to working with him.
Mr Trump had not expressed support for either candidate in France's election, although he predicted last month that an attack on police officers in Paris could help far-right National Front leader Ms Le Pen because she is "the strongest on borders".
Former president Barack Obama, meanwhile, had endorsed Mr Macron in a video message uploaded online.
The centrist Mr Macron defeated Ms Le Pen in Sunday's presidential runoff.
Final results from the French presidential election showed he received 10 million more votes than his far-right rival.
The official tally published on Monday (local time) by the Interior Ministry showed that Mr Macron collected 20.8 million votes, or 66.1 per cent, while Ms Le Pen garnered 10.6 million voters, or 33.9 per cent.
Paris climate deal

The Paris agreement is an international accord entered into by more than 100 developing countries pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The agreement caps and reduces the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), described as the world's fastest-growing climate pollutant, in a gradual process beginning by 2019, with action by developed countries including the United States, the world's second-worst polluter.
It came into force in November 2016.
However, Mr Trump signalled he was not going to let international climate change targets and regulations agreed to by his predecessor stand in his way of creating jobs for Americans.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-09/macron-tells-trump-he-will-defend-paris-climate-deal/8509170