Europe must “fill the gap” if USA ends climate policy cooperation with China

Europe will have to “fill the gap” in cooperating with China on climate protection if the future US administration refuses to maintain the Obama government's impetus, German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks said at the DENEFF financial forum for energy efficiency in Berlin. “We will have to brace for a situation in which the USA no longer shows the determination to press ahead with ambitious goals together with China,” Hendricks said referring to a US government under Donald Trump. She added that even if the upcoming US administration was sceptical about climate protection efforts, the vast majority of US citizens and state governments acknowledged human impacts on the climate and called climate protection measures in the country “irreversible”.