Syria has decided to sign the Paris agreement on climate change

Syria signs Paris climate agreement and leaves the US isolated.

The surprise decision, taken at the COP23 climate summit in Bonn, will leave the US as the only country outside the agreement if it follows through on President Donald Trump’s vow to leave.

The announcement was made by a Syrian delegate at a plenary session of the conference.

The move comes on the heels of Nicaragua signing the accord last month.

Separately, lawmakers in Damascus last month “approved a draft law on ratifying Syria’s accession to the Paris Climate Agreement”, says the Washington Post.

The Paris climate talks in 2015 “coincided with some of the fiercest fightings in Syria’s civil war”, the BBC says, and international sanctions made it difficult for officials to attend – “meaning the country was in no position to sign” at the time.

Syria’s decision has not caused a change in the position taken by the US, reports the New York Times.

White House spokeswoman Kelly Love pointed reporters to a statement the administration made when Nicaragua joined the pact.

“As the president previously stated, the United States is withdrawing unless we can re-enter on terms they are more favorable for our country,” the statement said.