US Congresswoman Aumua Amata Radewagen. Photo: radewagen.house.gov
American Samoa's member of the US Congress Aumua Amata says she can understand the disappointment Pacific Islanders feel about the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Pact.
However, she feels that this is an opportunity to come up with a better and more effective agreement.
The congresswoman said she had friends and relatives on many Pacific islands, and she understood the genuine fear the Marshall Islands had for its very existence.
According to the Republican congresswoman, President Donald Trump had made clear that he believed there was global warming and that at least some of it was attributable to human activity but his objection to the Paris accord was a financial one.
Aumua said he did not believe that sending U.S. dollars to an international body was the best way to expend resources.
She said she was pleased that he committed to begin immediate negotiations for terms more favourable to the U.S., so the U.S. could rejoin the agreement.
The German Chancellor said the Paris agreement could not be renegotiated.