Story highlights As president, Trump has shied away from giving his opinion on whether climate change is real

Haley said the US remains committed to curbing climate change

Watch Jake Tapper's full interview with Nikki Haley on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump does believe in climate change and that humans have a role in it, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told CNN's Jake Tapper in an interview on "State of the Union."

"President Trump believes the climate is changing and he believes pollutants are part of the equation," Haley said Saturday, answering a central question in the wake of his decision to withdraw the country from the Paris climate accord.

JUST WATCHED Who influenced Trump's climate thinking? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Who influenced Trump's climate thinking? 04:09

Trump "knows that it's changing and that the US has to be responsible for it and that's what we're going to do," she continued, adding that withdrawing from the Paris agreement won't change the country's commitment to curbing climate change.

"Just because the US got out of a club doesn't mean we aren't going to care about the environment," she said.

When asked why the US pulled out of the climate agreement, Haley blamed former President Barack Obama for agreeing to regulations that were "too onerous," too strict and ultimately unachievable.

Read More