by Eric J. Lyman
BOLOGNA, Italy, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The gap between the United States and other large industrialized economies on climate change continued to grow at the Group of Seven (G7) ministerial talks on environment, in which most members agreed to strongly back the Paris agreement, with U.S. objections noted in a stand-alone footnote.
In the statement in Bologna, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan agreed to call for united action to confront climate change, stating that they "reaffirm strong commitment to the swift and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, which remains the global instrument for effectively and urgently tackling climate change and adapting to its effects."
They also agreed to work towards the stated goal of raising at least 100 billion U.S. dollars per year by 2020 to help poor and developing countries adapt to the impacts of changing climate.
The U.S. view, meanwhile, appears in a footnote at the bottom of the second page of the document, stating that "we the United States do not join those sections of the communique on climate and MDBs, reflecting our recent announcement to withdraw and immediately cease implementation of the Paris Agreement and associated financial commitment."
In remarks during the two days of talks and at their conclusion, some leaders vowed to continue with climate action despite the U.S. stance.
Catherine McKenna, minister of environment for Canada which will host the G7 process in 2018, said they hoped the United States might yet return to the fold to at least some extent.
In Bologna, U.S President Donald Trump's main envoy, head of Environmental Protection Agency Scott Pruitt left the talks to return to Washington only a few hours after his arrival.
The communique also reflected joint language agreed to be all seven countries on non-climate-related environmental issues, such as recycling, reducing litter in the world's oceans, and development.
