Merkel to put climate change at centre of G20 talks after Trump's Paris pullout

German chancellor says Trump administration's decision to quit Paris climate agreement means EU must show leadership on issue

Tackling climate change will be one of the central tasks of the upcoming Hamburg G20 summit of the world's largest economies, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Thursday, following the US withdrawal from the Paris climate pact.

Merkel, who will host the gathering of global leaders in the northern port city, said the climate change scepticism of the Trump administration made it all the more important for the European Union to show leadership.