Donald Trump's climate change denial is 'embarrassing', says Michael Bloomberg

The President's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement 'makes us look foolish,' says former New York mayor

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg says Donald Trump's denial of climate change makes the US look 'foolish' (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

Michael Bloomberg has called Donald Trump’s denial of climate change “embarrassing”.

The former New York City Mayor and billionaire philanthropist told CNN that though he did not want to criticise the President, “virtually every scientist - with peer review - says the same thing” about global warming and climate change.

Mr Bloomberg admitted that some issues within climate science are still up for debate, such as when the world will cross the point of no return in terms of cooling the planet through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

However, "no reputable person or scientist doubts that we are creating an environmental and a climate change problem” with not regulating the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, Mr Bloomberg said.

Mr Trump also recently pulled the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change, which nearly 200 countries signed in an effort to help poor countries adjust to an already-changing climate as well as make wealthier countries more “green”.

"Is it helpful that America pulls out and the president says these things? No, it is not helpful. Is it a disaster for the world? No, it just makes us look foolish,” he commented.

Mr Trump thinks the Paris accord puts the US - particular the coal industry - at an “economic disadvantage”.

He and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt spoke about exporting US coal to other countries in an effort to boost the industry and create jobs.

In reality, approximately 70,000 Americans work in the coal sector.

As Mr Bloomberg said, “more people work at [fast food chain] Arby’s that work in the coal business.”

“We have to help them,” he noted, adding that the President’s proposed federal budget actually takes money away from job re-training government programmes for miners that would help prepare them for new careers.

“There is nothing that is going to save coal miners’ jobs, they will continue to decline as technology gets better,” said Mr Bloomberg.

Mr Trump has been repeatedly promising coal miners a resurgence in their job market since the beginning of his presidential campaign, but without providing specifics or taking into account that the industry has been in steady decline since the 1970s.

Bloomberg Philanthropies has been donating funds to such programmes in an effort to help.

The UN Special Envoy on Climate Change and Cities also announced earlier this month that they would give $15 million to UN to make up for the US withdrawal from the Paris deal.