- Title: Bloomberg calls Trump a climate denier at COP25 talks
- Date: 10th December 2019
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (DECEMBER 10, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER AND FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR, MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, WALKING IN CORRIDOR AT COP25 BLOOMBERG APPROACHING PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER AND FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR, MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, SAYING: "And I do want the world to know that Americans are continuing to work on climate change even with a climate denier in the White House. And one of the things that is fascinating is we have been closing cold-fired power plants at the same rate during the Trump administration as we did during the Obama administration. So, the White House matters but sometimes not too much and we can, if we have to, do it without them. It would be much better if they were in but even if they are not we are not going to walk away from our responsibility as citizens of the world to do something to save everybody's lives." FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY ARRIVING WHILE BLOOMBERG IS TALKING BLOOMBERG MAKING SPEECH (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER AND FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR, MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, SAYING: "When President Trump cut funding for the U.N. climate office, Bloomberg Philanthropies stepped in to fill the funding gap. And when President Trump decided to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, Bloomberg Philanthropies joined former California Governor Jerry Brown who incidentally asked me to send his best wishes to you. He is sorry he couldn't be here. We asked Jerry to help bring together thousands of mayors and governors and CEOs and community leaders and together we have all said we are still in." APPLAUSE AT END OF SPEECH/BLOOMBERG LEAVES PODIUM BLOOMBERG AND KERRY LEAVING TOGETHER
- Embargoed: 24th December 2019 11:50
- Keywords: Climate John Kerry Michael Bloomberg Trump
- Location: MADRID, SPAIN
- City: MADRID, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B9E8OJR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. Democratic presidential contender and former New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, on Tuesday (December 10) pledged that the U.S would continue working to fight global warming, even with a "climate denier" in the White House.
Bloomberg made the comments in the sidelines of the United Nations climate talks in Madrid during at speech that was also attended by former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
"I do want the world to know that Americans are continuing to work on climate change even with a climate denier in the White House," Bloomberg said.
"One of the things that is fascinating is we have been closing cold-fired power plants at the same rate during the Trump administration as we did during the Obama administration. So, the White House matters but sometimes not too much," he added.
Bloomberg's visit comes just over a week after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended the climate summit in Madrid, pledging that Congress would urgently tackle global warming despite U.S. President Donald Trump's opposition to the Paris climate accord.
"We are not going to walk away from our responsibility as citizens of the world to do something to save everybody's lives," said Bloomberg, who was scheduled to meet with mayors from cities around the world to discuss ways of fighting climate change.
Many governments and environmental groups are aghast at Trump's move last month to begin formal proceedings to yank the United States, one of the world's biggest polluters, from the 2015 Paris Agreement to avert catastrophic temperature rises.
"We are still in," added Bloomberg.
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