HELSINKI, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Finnish Environment and Energy Minister Kimmo Tiilikainen said Friday that the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement demands resolute action now from other countries in executing the pact.
"The rest of the world must show its determination," Tiilikainen told national broadcaster Yle.
Tiilikainen also noted that the actual impact of the U.S. pullout remains uncertain as many cities and states in the United States have said they will in any event apply policies consistent with the Paris Agreement. "But of course, the absence of the United States will damage the efficiency of the agreement," Tiilikainen said.
Tiilikainen also said the Paris Agreement consists of pledges given by various countries, thus the intention of U.S. President Donald Trump to renegotiate the agreement would mean that he would only discard the promises of the previous U.S. administration.
The impact of the U.S. decision on the Arctic Council remains unclear. Timo Koivurova, director of the Arctic Center at Lapland University, said on Friday that the work of the Council is based on scientific findings.
"It is strange if a country denies scientific findings," Koivurova said, adding that the greater part of the work of the Arctic Council is directed towards climate change. "How will the United States now participate?" Koivurova asked in an article published by the Arctic Center.
The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum comprised of the eight Arctic nations: the United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Denmark. Six international organizations representing Arctic Indigenous Peoples have permanent participant status.
Finland is the rotating chair of the Arctic Council for two years starting from May 2017.
