"We need all the clean energy sources — renewables, solar, wind, hydropower, nuclear energy. We also need natural gas because in 2016 the biggest reduction in emissions came from United States because of the natural gas replacing coal. We need all these fuels and contributions of every country, it's important that we push clean energies and energy efficiency and cleaner use of oil, gas and coal," Birol said at the World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul when asked to comment on the pledge of Washington for cleaner fossil fuels.
In June, US President Donald Trump, who repeatedly criticized the Paris accord during his election campaign as potentially dangerous for the US economy and employment, announced the country’s exit from the agreement, expressing readiness to renegotiate the agreement under new terms that would be more favorable for the United States.
The Paris climate agreement was adopted in December 2015. Signed by over 190 countries and ratified by nearly 150, the accord came into force in November 2016. According to the document, all parties to the agreement should reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to maintain the increase in average global temperature at below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
