German Chancellor Angela Merkel had actually thought that Canada’s young, charismatic prime minister, Justin Trudeau, could be counted among her reliable partners. Particularly when it came to climate policy. Just two weeks ago, at the G-7 summit in Sicily, he had thrown his support behind Germany. When Merkel took a confrontational approach to U.S. President Donald Trump, Trudeau was at her side.
But by Tuesday evening, things had changed. At 8 p.m., Merkel called Trudeau to talk about how to proceed following Trump’s announced withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. To her surprise, the Canadian prime minister was no longer on the attack. He had switched to appeasement instead.
What would be wrong with simply striking all mentions of the Paris Agreement from the planned G-20 statement on climate, Trudeau asked. He suggested simply limiting the statement to energy issues, something that Trump would likely support as well. Trudeau had apparently changed his approach to Trump and seemed concerned about further provoking his powerful neighbor to the south.
The telephone call made it clear to Merkel that her strategy for the G-20 summit in early July might fail. The chancellor had intended to clearly isolate the United States. at the Hamburg meeting, hoping that 19 G-20 countries would underline their commitment to the Paris Agreement and make Trump a bogeyman of world history. A score of 19:1.
If even Trudeau is having doubts, though, then unity among those 19 is looking increasingly unlikely. Since then, the new formula has been to bring as many countries as possible together against one.
The first cracks began appearing on the Thursday before last. After returning from the G-7 summit in the Sicilian town of Taormina, Merkel had sent a clear signal to her team: “We have to stay together, we have to close ranks.”
From the G-6 to the G-3
But even before Trump announced the American withdrawal from the Paris Agreement that evening in the White House Rose Garden, it had become clear in Berlin that they would miss their first target. Led by the Italian G-7 presidency, the plan had been for a joint reaction to Trump’s withdrawal, an affirmation from the remaining six leading industrial nations: We remain loyal to Paris.
Suddenly, though, Britain and Japan no longer wanted to be part of it. British Prime Minister Theresa May didn’t want to damage relations with Trump, since she would need him in the event of a hard Brexit, the Chancellery surmised last week. And given the tensions with North Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe couldn’t put his country’s alliance with the U.S. at risk. In other words: Climate policy is great, but when it comes to national interests, it is secondary.
Read more at De Spiegel
Global Warming/Climate Change is the biggist fruad in the history of the world bigger then the Hitler Diaries,Al Capoone Vualts,Archoraptor and Piltdown Man
His days are numbered and he knows it. So this is a desperate move because living over a huge country like the states and trying to reduce co2 emissions and destroying the coal and oil infrastructure is like blood letting during the plague.
Did Putin really think this many moves ahead?
Ms Merkel would be wise to consider her own country interests instead of poking the eye of the USA. She seems to forget no USA = No Germany .
Yes Ms Merkel stick together by all means but when real S hits the fan and the big bear decides to role into Germany again who are you going to call ? The French ?
Japan and Canada ride in the jet steam of USA military protection therefore they
wisely are not about to pee in the USA ‘s corn flakes . Japan at least had the backbone to say they were never going to support another Kyoto and the Paris Pledge is
Kyoto – Lite .
Germany is beginning to look like the left of centre California fruit, nuts and flakes .
Germany is a great country with highly intelligent people so we will see how scared they are about the” planet having a fever” .
This shows what we have known all along. The United States is too big and powerful to be bullied.
Merkel’s attempt at a G-19:1 climate alliance another effort to do away with national sovereignty.
Putin also rejects this global Warming poppycock just like Trump rejects it the who Global Warming/Climate Change is based upon Junk Science