G20 leaders except Donald Trump reaffirm commitment to ‘irreversible’ climate change agreement

Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) except US President Donald Trump have reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris Climate Change Agreement, saying it was “irreversible” in a declaration at the end of the summit in Hamburg, Germany.

World leaders made concessions on trade and climate language to Donald Trump in exchange for preserving a fragile unity of the club of major industrialised and emerging economies.

In a departure from final summit declarations that tend to outline consensus on issues that range from fighting terrorism to financial governance, the extraordinary conclusions this year spelled out differences on core issues.

It acknowledged Trump’s decision to go his own way on taking the United States out of the 2015 Paris climate accord and clearly stated Washington’s wish to continue using and selling fossil fuels that are a main driver of global warming.

The declaration also stated for the first time the right of countries to protect their markets with “legitimate trade defence instruments” - wording that essentially gives Trump wiggle room to push on with his “America First” policy.