Trump begins tearing up Obama's years of progress on tackling climate change

Fossil fuels to the fore as president signs orders to review clean power plan, lift ban on coal leases and discard expert thinking on true cost of carbon emissions

Donald Trump will launch a major assault on Barack Obama's climate change legacy on Tuesday with a series of orders that undermine America's commitment to the Paris agreement.

Asked by the Guardian if Trump accepted the science of manmade climate change, a senior White House official replied: "Sure, yes, I guess, I think the president understands the disagreement over the policy response and you'll see that in the order " We're taking a different path."