Technology and trade are the best routes to reducing the world’s carbon footprint while still prioritizing the United States’ interests, Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt told reporters on Friday, the Hill reports.
Attributing a decrease in the U.S.’s emissions over the last two decades to technological advances in the private sector, Pruitt called for any renegotiation of the Paris Agreement to focus on the exportation of purportedly environmentally friendly technology, such as “clean coal” and hydraulic fracking. The European Union, France, Italy, and Germany have already dismissed the possibility of renegotiating the agreement.
Frothing with generalities about “stay[ing] engaged,” Pruitt’s comments today echoed the brief speech he gave yesterday, following President Donald Trump’s announcement of the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Paris accord. “Our efforts,” Pruitt said yesterday, “should be on exporting our technology, our innovation to nations who seek to reduce their CO2 footprint to learn from us. That should be our focus versus agreeing to unachievable targets that harm our economy and the American people.” Pruitt failed to mention renewable energy technologies, such as solar power, which many researchers see as promising alternative climate-conscious energy sources. He also eschewed substantive discussion of Trump’s views on climate change.
“We need to export clean coal technology. We need to export the technology and natural gas to those around the globe, India, and China,” Pruitt told reporters. “[We need to] help them learn from us on what we’ve done to achieve good outcomes. We’ve led with actions, not words.”
