As I have stated, my business is Society and Nature.

Are there any potted plants in Trump Tower?

I have no idea, but I am sure there are. It is “nice” with ornamental greenery in the office. But does he notice? What does he think about Nature? Does he at all think about Nature?

On 1 June president Trump held a speech in the Rose Garden, where he declared that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Agreement of Dec 2015. – Several commentators have pointed out that the speech did not at all touch on the concerns of the Agreement: climate change and related environmental issues. The speech dealt with the efforts of other nations to undermine the US, to prevent the US from acting in full freedom, including stopping the US from expanding coal-based energy production. In the speech, the Paris Agreement takes the shape of an international conspiracy to weaken the US. After having made this “discovery” Trump explained that from now on the US will act on its own, do what it wants and what is best for it, without looking at the views of others, and without paying attention to possible climate change consequences.

Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, writes in Washington Post that with this move by president Trump the slogan “America First” became “America Alone”. Fareed Zakaria of CNN states, referring to govt sources, that president Trump has clarified that the world is not a global community but an arena where nations compete for advantage.

President Trump explained during the election campaign that he wanted to be unpredictable, to keep people guessing what his next move would be. Now we have come a bit closer to an understanding of his personality and outlook.

But what will follow? Will the US withdraw from its position as a global leader – not just as the world’s policeman, but as a promotor of peace, global balance, and economic development for mutual benefit? Should we try to get used to the thought that China will take over that job?  – One thing seems clear already: the rest of the world has become more united around the intentions of the Paris Agreement.

Meanwhile many voices of disagreement with the president’s position have been raised within the US itself. A blog post from World Resources Institute, dated 2 June, the day after, explains that more than 1000 US companies urged the president not to leave the Agreement. The blog post also presents statistics demonstrating what actually is going on in the US in terms of job creation and economic development generated by energy adaptation. The post ends with a very terse sentence: “Trump is securing his place in history as someone intent on sabotaging a global effort that has earned the commitment from nearly every other country”.

Who does president Trump think he is? And what does he think about Nature?