

The US has refused to sign up to a G7 pledge that calls the Paris climate accord the “irreversible” global tool to address climate change.

The G7 environment ministers issued a final reportafter their two-day meeting in Bologna, the first since the US announced it was withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.

In a footnote to the G7 report, the US said on Monday it would not join with the other six countries in reaffirming their Paris commitments, but said it was taking action on its own to reduce its carbon footprint.

The US footnote said: “The United States will continue to engage with key international partners in a manner that is consistent with our domestic priorities, preserving both a strong economy and a healthy environment.”

As a result, the US said it would not join those sections of the report on climate and multilateral development banks. The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, attended the first few hours of the summit on Sunday, but left to attend a cabinet meeting in Washington.

Presenting the report, Italy’s environment minister, Gian Luca Galletti, called the Paris accord “irreversible, non-negotiable and the only instrument possible to combat climate change”. He said the other G7 countries hoped to continue constructive dialogue with the US but insisted on the Paris parameters. “Everything else for us is excluded,” he said.

Scott Pruitt with Italy’s minister of the environment, Gian Luca Galletti. Pruitt attended the first few hours of the G7 summit in Bologna. Photograph: Max Rossi/Reuters

The 2015 Paris agreement aims to prevent the Earth from heating up by 2C since the start of the industrial age. As the world has already warmed about 1.1C since the industrial revolution, the accord aims to ensure the threshold is not breached with each nation curbing heat-trapping emissions.

All but a few scientists say the overwhelming majority of warming is manmade, as do dozens of scientific academies and professional societies. Scientists have known since the 19th century that burning coal, oil and gas releases CO2 into the air, which then acts like a blanket to trap heat on Earth.

Donald Trump announced the US was withdrawing from the Paris accord earlier this month, framing it as a “reassertion of America’s sovereignty”. He has said the US could try to re-enter the deal under more favourable terms, but Italy, France and Germany have said the Paris accord cannot be renegotiated.

Greenpeace’s international executive director, Jennifer Morgan, said: “Paris is non-negotiable and the leadership shown by the G6 countries, along with the cities, states and businesses in the US in moving the agreement forward swiftly is fundamental. Real leaders can and should deliver on clean energy promises in a way that is equitable and strengthens communities. Now it’s time for G6 countries to match their words with actions and announce how they will increase their climate ambition going into the G20 meeting.”

