Former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich Newton (Newt) Leroy GingrichMORE (Ga.) argued on Sunday that international agreements such as the Paris climate deal ultimately harm developing countries that cannot afford to implement environmental regulations.

"The working poor and the very poor on the planet get crushed by these kind of agreements," Gingrich said on "Fox & Friends." "So I am for more economic growth. Wealthier countries are better for the environment, poorer countries inevitably are harder for the environment."

The Paris accord commits both wealthy and poor countries to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fighting the effects of climate change.

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The world's largest greenhouse gas emitters, like the U.S., China and Europe, pledged in 2015 to limit the global temperature rise over the next 50 years to 3 degrees Celsius.

In fact, many of the world's poorest countries have been among the strongest advocates for the Paris climate deal, because they are considered particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change.

Leaders from some of the least-developed countries have argued that the pledge isn't enough and that they must commit to limiting the temperature rise to only 1.5 degrees Celsius.

President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE refused on Saturday to join fellow Group of Seven leaders in a pledge of support for the 195-nation climate agreement. He tweeted Saturday morning that he has not yet decided whether he will keep the U.S. in the deal and that a decision would be made this week.

Trump has vowed to repeal environmental regulations and reinvigorate the fossil fuels industry in the U.S., particularly the coal industry. If he withdraws the U.S. from the Paris agreement, it would be his firmest rebuke yet of Obama-era environmental policies.