Tesla boss may quit as Trump advisor if the US withdraws from Paris climate accord

Any follow-up by US president Donald Trump on his campaign pledge to pull the US out of a global climate change deal is likely to go down like a lead balloon with China and the European Union (EU).

And Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has threatened to resign as an adviser to Trump if that happens.

Leaders China and the EU are to agree on a joint statement on the Paris climate accord, saying it is “an imperative more important than ever”.

A draft of the document, seen by the BBC, stresses the “highest political commitment” to implement the deal.

It will be seen as a rebuff to the US, as Trump considers withdrawal.

The joint statement will be published tomorrow after a summit in Brussels.

The document highlights the dangers posed by rising temperatures, “as a national security issue and multiplying factor of social and political fragility,” while pointing out that the transition to clean energy creates jobs and economic growth, the BBC reports.

Both sides say they will step up action to implement their national plans on cutting carbon. The EU and China agree they will outline their long term low carbon strategies by 2020.

The document outlines other areas of co-operation, including on the development and linking of carbon markets.

To date, 147 out of the 197 countries have ratified the accord, including the US where the accord came into force last November.

Musk says he’s done all he can to advise the White House on the deal, The Washington Post reports.

Asked by another Twitter user what would happen if Trump withdraws in spite of Musk’s advice, the entrepreneur says he will have “no choice” in the matter.

As a technology executive who has cited climate change as a key reason behind his push for electric vehicles, Musk has a personal and professional stake in US climate change policies.

Musk’s resignation in protest could reflect a loss of faith in Trump by a key business leader, weakening the economic credibility Trump sought for his administration by appointing nearly 20 powerful chief executive officers to an advisory council in December.