Climate sceptic candidate threatens to kneecap global climate pact if he wins US election later this year

By Ed King

US presidential hopeful Donald Trump says he will renegotiate the UN’s new climate deal if he comes to power in early 2017.

In an exclusive interview with Reuters, the likely Republican nominee for the White House said the 2015 deal agreed by 195 countries was unfair on the US.

“I will be looking at that very, very seriously, and at a minimum I will be renegotiating those agreements, at a minimum. And at a maximum I may do something else,” he said.

“But those agreements are one-sided agreements and they are bad for the United States.”

The US and China have promised to formally approve the deal by the end of 2016. 55 countries covering 55% of global emissions need to officially join the agreement before it comes into force.