This means the next US president can still rejoin the agreement.Reacting to the US' notification, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged it to re-engage with the 2015 Paris climate agreement.The Paris climate deal aims to prevent the Earth from heating up by 2 degrees Celsius since the start of the industrial age. The US is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China Trump drew international condemnation in June when he first announced the US intention to withdraw. "Such participation will include ongoing negotiations related to guidance for implementing the Paris agreement," it added.The UN spokesperson, however, said that UN Secretary- General Guterres "welcomes any effort to re-engage in the Paris Agreement by the United States". "The secretary-general received, in his capacity as Depositary of the Paris Agreement, a communication from the Permanent Representative of the US expressing the intention of the US to exercise its right to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, as soon as it is eligible to do so under the Agreement, unless it identifies suitable terms for re-engagement," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "It is crucial that the US remains a leader on climate and sustainable development.

Source: Economic Times August 05, 2017 08:15 UTC