The United States’ top environmental protection official left early from a weekend meeting of industrialized nations, during which leaders were supposed to talk about environmental issues such as pollution and climate change, the Associated Press reports.
Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt departed Bologna, Italy, after “the first few hours” of a two-day meeting of the Group of Seven, which consists of the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. “Although he left an acting deputy in his seat, Pruitt’s early exit was seen as a snub,” InsideClimateNews reports.
Pruitt’s exit is the latest tension to arise between the U.S. and the rest of the G7. President Donald Trump met with G7 leaders in May, at which time he waffled about whether he meant to keep the U.S.’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change. Days later, he announced the U.S. would be pulling out. Before Pruitt left the G7 environment meeting, leaders from the six other countries expressed their disappointment in Trump’s decision, the AP reports. All six remain in the Paris Agreement.
