Italy and allies to press US to rejoin climate pact

ROME: Italy and allied countries will seek to put pressure on the US to rejoin the landmark 2015 Paris climate agreement, Premier Paolo Gentiloni said on Friday.

"Together with friends we will press our ally, the US, to convince itself of the importance of adhering to the accord that was so hard to reach in Paris," Gentiloni said at the conference on migration, climate and agriculture taking place at the Accademia dei Lincei.

"We need to working together to ensure the pact is respected," Gentiloni said, recalling the close interconnection between climate change, malnutrition and migration.

The 17 hottest years recorded since 2001 and the 200 extreme weather events seen since 2010 are incontrovertible proof of climate change, he argued.

"This demands preventive action - that must be fundamental," he said.

US President Donald Trump announced his country`s withdrawal from the Paris climate change pact in June "to protect America and its citizens".