US President Donald Trump may have decided to withdraw from the Paris "climate accords," a White House official told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Trump met with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to work out the details of when the US would back out of the 2015 agreement, the Axios news website reported.
The climate accords were signed in 2015 by 195 countries, including the United States. Only Nicaragua and Syria refused to sign the agreement, which calls for curtailing carbon emissions caused by burning fossil fuels.
"I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump tweeted on Wednesday.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he's not sure when Trump will announce a decision.
"I obviously don't know whether he's made it," Spicer said during an afternoon briefing. "When the President has a decision he will make that announcement and he will make it clear what the basis of that is."
"The president’s comments [that] he’ll be making a decision within the next few days stand."
Nick Burns, who served as Secretary of state under George W. Bush's administration, said, "This would be a colossal mistake. It would also devastate our international credibility."
"We are one of the two largest carbon emitters, with China. We are the ones who put this deal together. It is the first step to try to do something about climate change. For President Trump to take us out, it is anti-science."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Gueterres said "it would be very important for the US not to leave the Paris agreement."
"Climate change is undeniable. Climate change is unstoppable. Climate solutions provide opportunities that are unmatchable," he tweeted.
Swedish Climate Minister Isabella Lovin said the decision to pull out of the agreement "is also contrary to what we expect from the U.S. leadership when humanity faces major challenges."
As part of the deal, the US committed to reducing carbon emissions by 26-28% within a decade.
147 of the countries - including the US - have already ratified the agreement