This May 31, 2017, photo shows part of the Pittsburgh skyline with the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. President Donald Trump framed his decision to leave the Paris climate accord during a news conference on Thursday, June 1 as "a reassertion of America's sovereignty," he said, "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris." (Darrell Sapp/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

This May 31, 2017, photo shows part of the Pittsburgh skyline with the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. President Donald Trump framed his decision to leave the Paris climate accord during a news conference on Thursday, June 1 as "a reassertion of America's sovereignty," he said, "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris." (Darrell Sapp/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Donald Trump and climate change (all times EDT):

10:40 p.m.

Fiji’s prime minister, who will chair an annual climate summit in Germany in November, says he’s deeply disappointed by President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord.

Voreqe Bainimarama says he tried to persuade Trump to stick with the agreement, as nations tackle “the greatest challenge our planet has ever faced.”

Bainimarama says the decision is a grave disappointment for citizens of places like his Pacific island nation and U.S. coastal cities like New York and Miami that are vulnerable to climate change.

He says he will do all he can to continue to forge a grand coalition to accelerate the momentum that has built since the Paris agreement. He says he’s convinced the U.S. government will eventually rejoin the effort.

ADVERTISEMENT

___

8:25 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is calling President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of a landmark climate accord “a historic mistake.”

Trump’s Democratic rival in the 2016 election says in a tweet that, “The world is moving forward together on climate change.” She says Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris accord “leaves American workers & families behind.”

Clinton has been increasingly vocal in her criticism of Trump as she ramps up her public appearances after several months of laying low following her bruising defeat.

Numerous Democrats as well as world and business leaders are criticizing Trump for abandoning the alliance of almost two hundred countries. The countries agreed to curb carbon their emissions in an effort to combat climate change.

___

8:05 p.m.

Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger is resigning from his position on a White House advisory council in response to President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.

Iger tweeted his decision on Thursday, just a few hours after Elon Musk exited the council. Iger says it was a matter of principle.

As a Democrat who supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, Iger faced criticism for his participation in Trump’s advisory council, but he assured Disney shareholders that participation did not equal endorsement.

Iger isn’t the only business leader weighing in on the president’s decision. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in a post that Trump’s decision is “bad for the environment, bad for the economy, and it puts our children’s future at risk.”

ADVERTISEMENT

___

7:45 p.m.

Mexico is reaffirming its “unconditional support for the Paris accord,” and says it “will continue to meet its established goals” for reducing carbon emissions.

The nation’s Foreign Relations Department is responding to President Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday that the U.S. is withdrawing from the Paris climate accord.

The department has released a statement saying, “Efforts to slow climate change are a moral imperative, because we owe it to future generations.”

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto writes on Twitter that “Mexico maintains its support and commitment for the Paris accord.”

___

7:30 p.m.

Australia’s environment minister says he is disappointed that the U.S. will exit the climate agreement, but the Australian government remains committed to it.

Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg has told Australian Broadcasting Corp.: “It would’ve been preferable for the United States to remain at the table. That being said, many other major countries have reaffirmed — like Canada, like Japan, India and China — have reaffirmed their commitment to Paris. Australia does too.”

Frydenberg says he spoke to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is in Singapore, following the White House announcement and the two agree that Australia’s emissions reduction targets are achievable.

Frydenberg says: “Australia will carry on because as our prime minister has made very clear, when we sign up to international agreements ...we will follow through.”

___

6:45 p.m.

The White House says President Donald Trump spoke with the leaders of Germany, France, Canada and Britain Thursday to explain his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

The White House says the president thanked the leaders for holding “frank, substantive discussions” with him on the issue. He reassured them that the U.S. is committed to the trans-Atlantic alliance and “robust efforts to protect the environment,” according to the White House readout of the call.

Trump also vowed that the U.S. will be “the cleanest and most environmentally friendly country on Earth” going forward.

The president met with all four leaders last week at the NATO and Group of 7 summits in Europe.

___

6:20 p.m.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner did not attend President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. would exit the climate agreement.

A White House official said the couple attended service at synagogue for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Ivanka Trump went home to observe the holiday with her children, while Kushner walked to work and had a longstanding meeting scheduled at the same time as Trump’s remarks. The official said Kushner was involved with the president’s announcement.

The official was not authorized to discuss their movements and insisted on anonymity.

Ivanka Trump had favored staying in the deal. Kushner thought the deal was bad but would have stayed in with adjusted emissions targets.

— By Catherine Lucey

___

5:50 p.m.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto tweets his city stands with the world and he’ll follow the guidelines of the Paris agreement “for our people, our economy & future.”

Peduto was responding to President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord, and Trump’s statement that he was elected to “represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”

The Democrat also had this to say: “Fact: Hillary Clinton received 80% of the vote in Pittsburgh.”

___

5:50 p.m.

General Motors Co. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said she will remain a part of President Trump’s Strategy and Policy Forum despite President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement.

In a statement, the automaker said the forum “provides GM a seat at an important table to contribute to a constructive dialogue about key policy issues.” But in a separate statement, GM says: “International agreements aside, we remain committed to creating a better environment.”

Ford Motor Co. said it will also continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at its plants and from its vehicles.

Says Ford: “We believe climate change is real.”

___

5:30 p.m.

A group of Democratic governors say President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement will encourage states to do more to fight climate change.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says in a conference call with reporters that states are free to act on their own to reduce pollution.

Inslee says Washington state, New York and California are forming the United States Climate Alliance, a coalition that will convene states committed to working to uphold the Paris climate agreement.

He says, if anything, Trump’s move “will give us additional political impetus” to address climate change.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe says Trump’s decision is a “disgrace” and the president has sided with Nicaragua, Syria and oil barons with his decision.

___

5:30 p.m.

Cabinet secretaries whose departments don’t deal primarily with environmental policy are praising President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accords.

Echoing White House talking points, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price released a statement that called the climate accords “a bad deal for the American people.”

He added: “I applaud President Trump’s leadership and the actions he is taking.”

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos also issued a statement in support of Trump’s decision, calling it “one more example of his commitment to rolling back the unrealistic and overreaching regulatory actions by the previous administration.”

Added DeVos: “President Trump is making good on his promise to put America and American workers first.”

___

5:30 p.m.

The United Nations body tasked with tackling climate change says it is ready to talk with the United States about the implications of President Donald Trump’s announcement to pull out of the Paris agreement.

The Bonn, Germany-based UNFCCC said in a statement Thursday that it regrets Trump’s announcement.

The agency noted that Trump said he wanted to renegotiate U.S. participation in the agreement. It receives more than 20 percent of its funding from Washington.

The UNFCCC says it stands “ready to engage in dialogue with the United States government regarding the implications of this announcement.”

__

5:15 p.m.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement “a major disappointment.” He says through a spokesman it’s “crucial that the United States remains a leader on environmental issues.”

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric (steh-FAHN’ doo-ZHAR’-ihk) said Thursday the U.N. chief believes the transformation envisioned in the accord is already underway.

Dujarric says the secretary-general is confident that cities, states and businesses around the world “will continue to demonstrate vision and leadership by working for the low-carbon, resilient economic growth that will create quality jobs and markets for 21st century prosperity.”

He said the secretary-general “looks forward to engaging with the American government and all actors in the United States and around the world to build the sustainable future on which our grandchildren depend.”

___

5:15 p.m.

The world’s largest retailer, Walmart, is urging countries to work together on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, even as President Donald Trump said he’s pulling the United States out of an international agreement to combat climate change.

Walmart says international cooperation “is a laudable and necessary goal.”

The company earlier this year launched Project Gigaton, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout its supply chain by 1 billion tons by 2030.

The company says, “Our commitments to renewable energy and emission reductions have been embedded in our business for more than a decade, and we believe they are good for our customers, good for our business and good for our environment.”

Walmart spokesman Greg Hitt says they see those commitments as “outside politics” and don’t expect to change them.

___

5:10 p.m.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is joining in a chorus of Democrats opposed to President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

Biden says on Twitter: “We’re already feeling impacts of climate change.”

The former vice president says that exiting the agreement “imperils U.S. security and our ability to own the clean energy future.”

Biden as vice president supported former President Barack Obama’s efforts to take part in the Paris accord and fight the effects of climate change.

___

5 p.m.

The leaders of France, Germany and Italy say the Paris climate accord cannot be renegotiated as President Donald Trump has demanded.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said in a joint statement Thursday that they take note “with regret” the U.S. decision to pull out of the 2015 agreement.

The three leaders say they regard the accord as “a cornerstone in the cooperation between our countries, for effectively and timely tackling climate change.”

They added that the course charted by the accord is “irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris Agreement cannot be renegotiated.”

Macron, Merkel and Gentiloni say they remain committed to the deal and will “step up efforts” to support the poorest and most threatened nations.

___

5 p.m.

Microsoft’s President Brad Smith tweeted that the company is “disappointed” by President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. Smith says Microsoft will keep working to achieve the accord’s goals.

In an emailed statement, retail giant Amazon says it also still supports the climate agreement, and that clean-energy policies are good for American jobs and innovation.

___

4:55 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (AHN’-geh-lah MEHR’-kuhl) says she regrets President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord.

Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Thursday on Twitter that Merkel would continue to put all efforts into climate policy “to save our Earth.”

Social Democratic members of Merkel’s Cabinet issued a separate joint statement saying “the United States is harming itself, us Europeans and all other people in the world.”

The ministers, including Germany’s top diplomat Sigmar Gabriel, said Trump’s move threatened economic growth and technical progress.

They called the decision “a political error, because it calls the international reliability of treaties into question.”

The ministers said they would “keep the door open” for the U.S. to rejoin the Paris accord again.

___

4:50 p.m.

Congressional Republicans are applauding President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, but Democrats are slamming the decision.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Trump has “put families and jobs ahead of left-wing ideology and should be commended.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan says that “the Paris climate agreement was simply a raw deal for America.”

But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York says the move is “a devastating failure of historic proportions” — and “one of the worst policy moves made in the 21st century.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California says it’s “a stunning abdication of American leadership and a grave threat to our planet’s future.”

___

4:50 p.m.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry says President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement means the U.S. “will no longer be bound by an agreement unilaterally entered into by the Obama administration.”

Perry is a former Texas governor. He says that instead of preaching about clean energy, the Trump administration will act on it.

Perry adds: “Our work and deeds are more important than empty words. I know you can drive economic growth and protect the environment at the same time, because that is exactly what I did as governor of Texas.”

Perry is on a nine-day trip to Japan and China. He said from Tokyo that the U.S. will continue to develop “next generation technology” in energy, including nuclear energy, liquefied natural gas and renewables such as wind and solar power.

___

4:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump has lost the support of a top billionaire business leader over his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate deal.

Elon Musk writes on Twitter that he is “departing presidential councils,” something he had vowed to do if Trump took this step. Musk writes: “Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.”

Musk is the founder of SpaceX and Tesla among other companies. He’s been a member of Trump’s infrastructure council, manufacturing jobs council and strategic and policy forum.

General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt, another member of Trump’s business councils, writes on Twitter that he is “disappointed” with Trump’s decision on Paris.

Says Immelt, “Industry must now lead and not depend on government.”

___

4:40 p.m.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (ZIN’-kee) is applauding President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. His reaction comes a day after Zinke said he could not comment on the accord because he had not read it.

Zinke said Thursday during a visit to Alaska that “America’s energy and economic destiny should be up to the United States, not the United Nations.”

Zinke praised Trump for taking “bold and decisive action to pull the U.S. out of the poorly negotiated Paris accord that would kill American jobs and manufacturing while doing little to protect the environment.”

Zinke told reporters Wednesday that he has “yet to read what the actual Paris agreement is” and “would like to sit down and read” the 2015 accord before commenting.

___

4:35 p.m.

John Kerry says President Donald Trump has taken “a self-destructive step” that puts America last.

The former secretary of state is a co-signer of the Paris climate accord. He released a statement Thursday following Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement.

Kerry says it’s “an unprecedented forfeiture of American leadership which will cost us influence, cost us jobs and invite other countries to walk away from solving humanity’s most existential crisis.”

Kerry called the decision “an ignorant, cynical appeal to an anti-science, special-interest faction far outside the mainstream.”

Kerry signed the agreement at the U.N. in 2016 with his granddaughter seated on his lap.

He says, “That is no basis for a decision that will affect billions of lives.”

___

4:20 p.m.

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.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, says climate change “poses a unique threat to the future of our planet, and puts in peril the health, prosperity, security and the very survival of our children and grandchildren.”

Hidalgo says she’s urging the Trump administration to reconsider the decision.

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

___

4:20 p.m.

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 (cah-NEY’-tey), said in a statement Thursday that the bloc “deeply regrets the unilateral decision by the Trump administration.”

Canete says the 2015 accord is “ambitious yet not prescriptive.”

He says the agreement will endure, and he pledged that “the world can continue to count on Europe for global leadership.”

Canete also predicted that the EU would seek new alliances from the world’s largest economies to the most vulnerable island states, as well as U.S. businesses and individuals supportive of the accord.

He added: “We are on the right side of history.”

___

4:15 p.m.

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.

The former vice president has defined his postgovernment life as a climate champion. He urges mayors, governors and the business community to take up where Trump is leaving off, especially by focusing on clean energy.

Gore says: “We are in the middle of a clean energy revolution that no single person or group can stop. President Trump’s decision is profoundly in conflict with what the majority of Americans want from our president.”

___

4:10 p.m.

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. He said that if unchecked, sea-level rise caused by climate change could mean that New Orleans and other coastal cities “will cease to exist.”

Landrieu said withdrawal from the Paris agreement “is shortsighted and will be devastating to Americans in the long run.”

___

4 p.m.

President Donald 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 president is speaking in the White House Rose Garden Thursday where he just announced America’s withdrawal from the Paris climate change accord.

Trump says, “This agreement is less about the climate and more about other countries obtaining a financial advantage over the United States.”

The president said the agreement gives “countries an economic edge over the United States,” adding, “that’s not going to happen while I’m president.”

He says that he is seeking to create a “level playing field” and establish the “highest standard of living, highest standard of environmental protection.”

Trump adds, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”

___

3:55 p.m.

President Donald Trump says the United States will immediately cease “all implementation” of Paris climate change accord standards.

Trump announced Thursday that the United States is withdrawing from the landmark 190-nation agreement to reduce earth-warming gases.

The president said that the nation would stop adhering to the emissions reductions standards immediately. The agreement was nonbinding.

Trump painted the original deal as “unfair” to American workers and taxpayers, suggesting that other countries had more favorable agreements.

He also said that the United States would be willing to re-enter the deal on “better terms.”

___

3:50 p.m.

President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. 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 during a White House Rose Garden announcement that the U.S. will exit the landmark climate agreement aimed at reducing carbon emissions to slow climate change.

Trump says the deal “disadvantages” the U.S. and is causing lost jobs and lower wages.

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.

___