Obama credits his policies, private sector with preserving climate agreement

Former President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he’s “confident” the United States will not pull out of the Paris Agreement.

In his first foreign speech since leaving office, Mr. Obama said at a conference in Milan that the private sector was already moving toward clean energy alternatives because of policies he put in place.

“The good news is, in part because of what we did over the last eight years, the private sector has already made a determination that the future is in clean energy. Investments are moving into clean energy,” Mr. Obama said at the “Seeds&Chips — Global Food Innovation” summit in Milan.

The Paris Agreement is an adopted consensus within the United Nations that aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The U.S. is one of 192 nations, plus the European Union, to sign the agreement.

Mr. Obama is also slated to meet with former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi during his visit. Mr. Renzi won the Democratic Party primary on Sunday. He resigned less than six months ago after losing a referendum.