U.S. plans to abandon climate agreement a "bitter disappointment": Dutch Environment Sec.

State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment calls it a "bitter disappointment" that the United States seems to be planning to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, as American media reported widely on Wednesday. "If it's true, today is a sad day for the world", she said to RTL Nieuws.

On Wednesday American media sources massively reported that president Donald Trump will abandon the climate pact, though there is no official confirmation from the White House yet. On Twitter Trump said he will announce his plans at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, local time.

While the withdrawal of the U.S. would be a big blow, Dijksma will continue to stay positive. "The Paris Climate Agreement was signed by 195 countries, including major polluters that continue to fight climate change", she said to the broadcaster. "Leadership from the EU and countries like China more needed than ever."

Last week Dijksma was in the United States for a trade mission and she is hopeful about what she saw there. "Many states and cities want to continue, and that is fortunately possible because they have a lot of their own legislative room. With that the business world is investing in sustainability on a large scale, rightly so, because climate also provides economic growth and jobs. We will have to await the final decision and legal implications of a withdrawal."