Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), tried on Friday to defend President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement by selectively quoting from “the environmental left,” which at times criticized the deal for not going far enough.
Mentioning both the Sierra Club and noted former NASA climate scientist James Hansen by name, Pruitt falsely claimed that they opposed the deal “largely because it didn’t hold nations like China and India accountable.”
Responding to the press conference as it unfolded, the Sierra Club tweeted: “The Sierra Club fully supports the Paris Agreement. Scott Pruitt is a liar.”
Others chimed in:
Meanwhile, Pruitt, who has publicly questioned the science of global warming and who since taking office has systemically deconstructed many of the United States’ environmental regulations and protections, took pains to frame Trump’s withdrawal from the global accord as something done in the interest of the environment.
“Truly,” Pruitt said, “Paris at its core was a bunch of words committed to very minimal environmental benefits.”
After, when asked by a reporter if Trump believes that “climate change is real and a threat to the United States,” Pruitt said that his personal beliefs were not germane to the discussions he had with the president about the accord.
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