Reaction to Trump pulling U.S. out of global climate change accord

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, but will begin negotiations to "re-enter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction."

Trump says the deal, a landmark 190-nation climate agreement aimed at reducing carbon emissions to slow climate change, "disadvantages" the U.S. and is causing lost jobs and lower wages.

Trump says the Paris accord is more about other nations gaining a "financial advantage" over the U.S. than it is about climate change.

The announcement fulfills one of Trump's top campaign pledges. But it also undermines world efforts to combat global warming.

The U.S. had agreed under former President Barack Obama to reduce emissions to 26 percent to 28 percent of 2005 levels by 2025 — about 1.6 billion tons.

Here's the reaction:

American mayors

The U.S. Conference of Mayors says it strongly opposes President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord and vows that the nation's mayors will continue efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.

The mayors said in a statement Thursday that the U.S. and other nations need to address climate change to become energy independent, self-reliant and resilient.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the group's vice president, called climate change a grave threat to coastal communities, the nation and the world.

Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, Texas, said his city won't stop fighting climate change.

NJ officials

U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J. 3rd District, said “climate change is a critical issue and it is vital that we act as good stewards of the environment. In any future agreement, we must protect American workers from a competitive disadvantage and ensure that nations across the globe also carry their weight.”

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. 6th District:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Johnson:

Barack Obama

Former President Barack Obama says the Trump administration is joining "a small handful of nations that reject the future" by withdrawing from the Paris climate change pact.

Obama is defending the deal that his administration painstakingly negotiated. He says the countries that stay in the Paris deal will "reap the benefits in "jobs and industries created." He says the U.S. should be "at the front of the pack."

The former president says in a statement that Trump's decision reflects "the absence of American leadership." But Obama says he's confident nonetheless that U.S. cities, states and businesses will fill the void by taking the lead on protecting the climate.

Al Gore

Former Vice President Al Gore is calling the decision to exit the Paris agreement "a reckless and indefensible action."

Gore says the move "undermines America's standing in the world." He released the statement as President Donald Trump was speaking at the White House Rose Garden.

European Union

The European Union's top climate change official says President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris accord makes it "a sad day for the global community."

The EU's climate action commissioner, Miguel Arias Canete, said in a statement Thursday that the bloc "deeply regrets the unilateral decision by the Trump administration."

World mayors

Mayors from major cities around the world say they remain committed to the Paris climate accord despite President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the deal.

In a statement Thursday, mayors of the world's megacities committed to addressing climate change said that despite the U.S. move, American cities can continue to play a role in trying to prevent catastrophic global warming.

Also on New Jersey 101.5: