G20 summit: 19 of 20 nations renew pledge on climate change

Leaders of 19 nations at the G20 summit in Germany have
renewed their pledge to implement the Paris deal on climate change, despite the
US pulling out.

Deadlock over the issue had held up the last day of talks in
Hamburg but a final agreement was eventually reached.

It acknowledges President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the
Paris climate agreement without undermining the commitment of other countries.

The compromise comes after violent protests in the host
city.

The joint summit statement released on Saturday said:
“We take note of the decision of the United States of America to withdraw
from the Paris Agreement.”

However, the leaders of the other G20 members agreed the
accord was “irreversible”.

The statement also said the US would “endeavour to work
closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more
cleanly and efficiently”.

Mr Trump has pledged to help the US coal industry make a
comeback and has previously characterised the Paris agreement as a deal that
aimed to disadvantage the country’s workers, BBC revealed.

As the summit drew to a close, German Chancellor Angela
Merkel said she still deplored Mr Trump’s position on the Paris accord but she
was “gratified” the other 19 nations opposed its renegotiation.

Negotiators worked through the night in an attempt to reach
an agreement on the wording of the summit statement.

Leaders also held separate talks in Hamburg. President
Donald Trump met British PM Theresa May, and said a US-UK trade deal would be
signed soon.

The G20 (Group of Twenty) is a summit for 19 countries, both
developed and developing, plus the EU.

There have been large protests on the streets of Hamburg,
with demonstrators and armed police clashing into the early hours of Saturday.

Demonstrators – who were protesting against the presence of
Mr Trump and Mr Putin, climate change and global wealth inequalities – set fire
to vehicles and barricades, threw rocks at officers and looted shops.

At one point, police chased protesters across rooftops while
officers on the streets used water cannon on protesters.

Nearly 200 police officers were injured during the protests.
Dozens of protesters have been detained.