Macron is confident the U.S. will come back to the Paris climate pact

French President Emmanuel Macron says he expects the United States to come back to the Paris climate change agreement.

In a speech to Congress, Macron said climate change is a long-term problem that won’t go away, and that gives him confidence the U.S. will either stay in the agreement or come back if it does leave.

“I’m sure, one day, the US will come back and join the Paris agreement. And I’m sure we can work together to fulfill with you the ambitions of the global compact on the environment,” Macron told the House and Senate, eliciting some cheers from within the House chamber.

“Let us face it, “there is no planet B,” he added.

Macron’s most forceful comments came in the form of a veiled rebuke against Trump, pushing back on the view that securing jobs and restoring industry are more urgent concerns.

“What is the meaning of our life, really, if we work and live destroying the planet, sacrificing the future of our children?” he asked.

Macron also played down his differences with Trump on Paris as “a short-term disagreement” that should not prevent the US and France from working to confront climate change challenges.