But in foreign capitals, and in communities across the United States that vowed to continue their efforts to combat the effects of climate change, that is exactly what Mr. Trump’s withdrawal seemed to mean. International officials set in motion plans to leave the American government behind while they look for ways to stave off the direst consequences of the warming of the planet.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Mr. Trump’s actions “will not deter all of us who feel obliged to protect this earth.” Koichi Yamamoto, the Japanese environment minister, told reporters that Mr. Trump had “turned his back on the wisdom of human beings.” Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said the fight against climate change “will continue with or without the United States.”
Turning that message quickly into action, European Union leaders on Friday concluded a two-day summit meeting in Brussels with Prime Minister Li Keqiang of China — a not-so-veiled diplomatic threat to Mr. Trump that Europe will find a partner to fight climate change, one way or another.
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Miguel Arias Cañete, the European Union’s commissioner for climate action and energy, told reporters in Brussels that the European Union would continue carrying out the Paris Agreement with the assistance of a variety of American individuals, companies and authorities.
“We will establish a dialogue within the United States with all the players that in the United States support ambitious climate change policies,” he said.
