UN calls US decision to withdraw from Paris Agreement 'a major disappointment'

US President Donald Trump pauses as he announces his decision that the United States will withdraw from the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, US, June 1, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

UNITED NATIONS - The US decision to withdraw from Paris Agreement on climate change is "a major disappointment" for global efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions and promote international security, Spokesperson for UN secretary-general Stephane Dujarric told reporters here on Thursday.

Dujarric said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remains confident that "cities, states and businesses within the United States will continue to demonstrate vision and leadership by working for the low-carbon, resilient economic growth that will create quality jobs and markets for 21st century prosperity."

"It is crucial that the United States remains a leader on environmental issues," said Dujarric. "The Secretary-General looks forward to engaging with the American government and all actors in the United States and around the world to build the sustainable future on which our grandchildren depend."

Earlier on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said that he has decided to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, a landmark global pact to fight climate change.

"The Paris Agreement was adopted by all the world's nations in 2015 because they recognize the immense harm that climate change is already causing and the enormous opportunity that climate action presents," said Dujarric.

"It offers a meaningful yet flexible framework for action by all countries," he noted. "The transformation envisaged in the Paris Agreement is already underway."

The climate deal, agreed on by almost every country in the world after lengthy negotiations, aims to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and sets a global target of keeping the rise in the average temperature no higher than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.