Donald Trump announces he will withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement

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US President Donald Trump announced he would withdraw the United States from the historic Paris climate accord, dealing a blow to global efforts to slow global warming after the hottest year on record.

The decision was announced Monday amid a wave of pro-fossil fuel policies after Trump was sworn in with a promise to “drill, baby, drill” in pursuit of what he called “American energy dominance “.

“The president will unleash American energy by ending Biden’s policies of climate extremism,” the White House said.

The United States’ exit from the 2015 Paris agreement, which was signed by nearly 200 countries, means the world’s historic largest polluter will once again move away from its commitment to reducing emissions. greenhouse gas emissions.

Rachel Cleetus, political director of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the US withdrawal was “a travesty” and “in clear disregard of scientific realities”.

The new administration also said it would declare an “energy emergency” as it touted measures to reduce regulations on oil and gas companies and curb clean energy production.

Trump said: “We will lower prices, refill our strategic reserves to the top, and export American energy around the world. We will become a wealthy nation again – and it is the liquid gold beneath our feet that will help us get there.

Trump said he would eliminate the role of national climate adviser, introduced by Biden, and replace it with an “energy czar” charged with cutting red tape for oil and gas producers. The role will be filled by former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

Last year was the first calendar year that average temperatures exceeded the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming since pre-industrial times to well below 2°C and preferably 1 .5°C.

The world is on track for a temperature rise up to 2.9C above pre-industrial levels, according to a UN report.

The United States is the only country to have left the Paris agreement – ​​under the first Trump administration in 2017, in a process that lasted more than two years. But he returned under Biden in February 2021. Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, also threatened to step down, but did not follow through.

The head of the UN climate change branch that oversees the Paris agreement, Simon Stiell, said on Monday: “The door remains open. . . and we appreciate the constructive engagement of all countries.

The White House said Monday it would also take steps to “end the leasing of massive wind farms” that it said “degrade our natural landscapes and fail to serve America’s energy consumers.”

Laurence Tubiana, one of the main architects of the Paris agreement, said the US decision to quit was “unfortunate” but that the agreement was “stronger than the politics and policies of any country “.

Some experts said Trump’s moves to roll back Biden’s “green” policies would give an advantage to China, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries.

“China will be happy to wave in the rearview mirror of one of its cutting-edge electric vehicles, while American manufacturers limp along,” said Tim Sahay, co-director of the Net-Zero Industrial Policy Lab at Johns Hopkins University.

The Biden administration raised the bar on U.S. climate goals in its final month in office, setting an economy-wide greenhouse gas reduction target of 61 to 66 percent by 2035 compared to 2005 levels.

At the latest U.N. climate summit in Baku, Biden’s top climate adviser John Podesta acknowledged that U.S. efforts to combat global warming “may be put on the back burner” under the Trump White House, but sought to reassure U.S. allies that it would not stop the shift to green energy and technology by businesses, states, cities and local governments.