Putin: “Don't worry, be happy” as Trump ditches climate deal

Desdemona Despair

By Michael Biesecker
2 June 2017

WASHINGTON (Associated Press) – While other world leaders have strongly condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to abandon the Paris climate accord, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he won’t judge.

“Don’t worry, be happy!” Putin quipped after being asked for his reaction at an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russia. He said the climate deal doesn’t formally go into effect until 2021, giving nations years to come up with a constructive solution to combating global warming.

For Putin, leader of the world’s biggest crude oil producer and fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, there was plenty to cheer in Trump’s rejection of the agreement painstakingly negotiated by the Obama administration and signed by 195 countries.

Trump’s move drives another wedge between the United States and its traditional European allies, while aligning its stance closer to Russia in boosting fossil fuels while deferring action to curb climate change.

While Putin’s government signed the 2015 Paris accord, he has delayed formally ratifying the agreement for at least two more years. Russia’s voluntary reduction goals under the deal are among the weakest submitted by any country, potentially allowing it to spew more planet-warming emissions in future years, not less. [more]

Putin: ‘Don’t worry, be happy’ as Trump ditches climate deal