Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City has said he will write a $5 million cheque to cover the U.S.’s commitment to the Paris climate agreement for this year. U.S. President Donald Trump had pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord last year, making his country the only one opposed to it. In a CBS interview, Bloomberg said he hoped Trump will change his mind by next year.

Bloomberg, a media baron – who was a Republican mayor and considered a 2016 presidential run as an independent said in the interview, "America made a commitment and, as an American, if the government's not going to do it then we all have a responsibility," Bloomberg said on CBS. "I'm able to do it. So, yes, I'm going to send them a cheque for the monies that America had promised to the organisation as though they got it from the federal government," he added.

The Paris agreement coming after the end of the Kyoto Protocol, commits the U.S. and 187 other countries to keeping rising global temperatures "well below" 2 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels.

Bloomberg, whose net worth Forbes pegs at about $50 billion, was speaking on Earth Day, to CBS’s Face the Nation. He did not commit to provide funds beyond 2018 and said he hoped that by next year Trump would have changed his mind. Trump, he said, should be able to “listen to others and change his mind. A person that doesn’t change their mind isn’t very smart … And he’s been known to change his mind.” Bloomberg added, “He(Trump) should change his mind and say look there really is a problem here. America is part of the problem. America is a big part of the solution and we should go in and help the world stop a potential disaster.”

Bloomberg's contribution provides the UN Climate Change Secretariat with 60 per cent of the anticipated U.S. Government support this year. The BBC reports that his charity, Bloomberg Philanthropies, offered $15m to cover a separate climate change shortfall last year. It said the money would go to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Upon being asked if he thought the non-binding nature of the Paris Climate Deal was a problem as it allowed countries like the U.S. to not follow the conditions as well as in terms of not sticking to its aims of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the effect of climate change, Bloomberg said: “Look, it’s dangerous to keep doing what we’re doing...If everybody would do the right thing, yes, it would be better.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2018 06:29 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).