U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has said that President Donald Trump believes in climate change and that humans have a role in it even as she answered a central question in the wake of his decision to withdraw the country from the Paris climate accord.
"President Trump believes the climate is changing and he believes pollutants are part of the equation," CNN quoted Haley, as saying.
When asked why the U.S. pulled out of the climate agreement, Haley blamed former president Barack Obama for agreeing to regulations that were "too onerous," too strict and ultimately unachievable.
"Just because the U.S. got out of a club doesn't mean we aren't going to care about the environment," she added.
"The regulations from the Paris agreement were disadvantaging our companies. I knew that as a governor. The jobs were not attainable as long as we lived under those regulations. It was not possible to meet the goals had we attempted to," she said, adding that "withdrawing from the Paris agreement won't change the country's commitment to curbing climate change."
Haley told CNN that Trump would always have America's best interests at heart, including what he does with regard to protecting the environment.
Earlier, Trump avoided using the words "climate change" in the 2,000-word speech he gave announcing the U.S. would pull out from the Paris climate accord.