Guest essay by Eric Worrall

President Macron’s G7, which was intended to focus on environmental issues, has been declared a failure because President Trump didn’t attend the climate meeting centrepiece.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed hope that the UN could bypass President Trump by working directly with American local authorities.

One empty chair at G-7 climate meeting: Trump’s
By SYLVIE CORBET and DARLENE SUPERVILLE

BIARRITZ, France (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump skipped a discussion on climate with other world leaders at the Group of Seven summit in France — then claimed to “know more about the environment than anyone.”

Trump left an empty chair as global power brokers debated Monday how to help the fire-stricken Amazon and reduce carbon emissions.
“I’m an environmentalist,” Trump told reporters, even as he celebrated America’s oil and gas wealth.

Environmental activists declared the summit a failure, marching to demand tougher global emissions rules and more aid for the Amazon.

…

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres – who attended Monday’s climate talks – expressed hope that Americans themselves would help fight climate change even if their president doesn’t.

“I am very optimistic about American society and its capacity to deliver in relation to climate action,” he told reporters afterward. “What matters here is to have a strong engagement of the American society and of the American business community and the American local authorities.”

…

Read more: https://apnews.com/d2b71b0bded44b45a8987d31ee031dfe

I wonder why the non-attendance of one President considered such a disaster by global environmentalists and world leaders?