PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has offered his own version of Donald Trump's campaign slogan with a call to "make our planet great again" following his American counterpart's move to pull the US out of the historic Paris climate accord.
"I call on you to remain confident," Macron said in a televised speech on Thursday, shortly after Trump's announcement from the White House's Rose Garden.
"We will succeed because we are fully committed. Because wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility. Make our planet great again," The Hill magazine quoted the French President as saying
Macron additionally called on "scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs (and) responsible citizens who were disappointed" by Trump's move to make France their home.
"I call on them, come, and work here with us. To work together on concrete solutions for our climate, our environment. I can assure you that France will not give up the fight."
Macron earlier on Thursday joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in dismissing Trump's suggestion the Paris deal could be renegotiated.
"We deem the momentum generated in Paris in December 2015 irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris agreement cannot be renegotiated, since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economies," the BBC quoted the three leaders as saying in a joint statement.
Trump on Thursday said he was formally withdrawing the US from the deal, fulfilling a pledge from his 2016 presidential campaign.
"In order to fulfil my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens, the US will withdraw from the Paris climate accord...The bottom line is that the Paris accord is very unfair at the highest level to the US. We are getting out, but we will start to negotiate and we will see if we can make a deal that is fair," Trump said.
The move was slammed by Canada, the UK, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the UN and former President Barack Obama.
The country under the Obama administration in 2015 had pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 per cent by 2025 as part of the agreement.
