UNITED NATIONS, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Prince Albert II of Monaco said on Wednesday U.S. withdrawal from Paris agreement was "catastrophic, and he would tell U.S. leader to "listen a little more carefully to scientists and to the scientific evidence" on global warning.
"The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, I think of which in everybody's mind, is catastrophic," he told reporters at the UN headquarters which is convening the Ocean Conference.
"This has only made everybody more aware of the importance of the issue and has made us more determined to reach the goals that all our countries have put forward to meet the targets that were demanded by the Paris Agreement," the prince said.
When asked by a reporter what he would tell U.S. President Donald Trump if he were present, he said "I would try to tell him pretty simply to listen a little more carefully to scientists and to the scientific evidence that has been out there for quite a while now and to just look at the tremendous implications that go along with having the U.S. withdraw from the Paris Agreement."
"It is disheartening, but we have to keep on fighting and our determination is there," the prince said. "I think he should listen to more people who have been dealing with these issues for quite sometime now and who I think have a pretty good idea of what it means and what it implies for the future."
"We are not doing this just for ourselves, not for now, but for future generations," he said. "I think that that should resonate in most people's minds and hearts."
Prince Albert was attending the Ocean Conference and was detailing the three-year journey of a research vessel from Monaco, which is set to take around the globe to study the world's seas.
Explaining that there are still a few years before the actual U.S. withdrawal, the Prince said "the Paris Agreement is made in such a way that no country can leave right then and now. It takes at least three years, 3.5 years now. There might still be hope. We think that everybody is crossing their fingers for that, that there might be a reversal of that decision."
