US President Donald Trump will once again withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, leaving the world’s largest historical emitter out of global efforts to combat climate change for the second time in a decade, the White House said on Monday.
The decision would put the United States alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries in the world outside the 2015 agreement, in which governments agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst effects of climate change. .
The announcement, contained in a White House document, reflects Trump’s skepticism about global warming, which he has called a hoax, and fits into his broader agenda to deregulate US oil and gas companies so they can maximize production.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is confident that American cities, states and companies “will continue to demonstrate vision and leadership by working for resilient, low-carbon economic growth that will create good jobs,” said UN spokeswoman Florencia Sotto Nino. In a written statement.
“It is important that the United States remains a leader on environmental issues,” she said. “Collective efforts under the Paris Agreement have made a difference but we need to go much faster and further together.”
The United States is already the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas thanks to a years-long drilling boom in Texas, New Mexico and elsewhere fueled by hydraulic fracturing technology and strong global prices since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Trump also withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement during his first term in office, although the process took years and was immediately reversed by the Biden presidency in 2021. This time the withdrawal will likely take less time – perhaps about a year – Because Trump will not be bound by the deal’s initial three-year commitment.
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This time could also be more damaging to global climate efforts, said Paul Watkinson, a former climate negotiator and senior policy adviser in France.
The United States is currently the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world after China, and its departure undermines the global ambition to reduce those emissions.
“It will be more difficult this time because we are in the process of implementation, and we face real choices,” Watkinson said.
The world is now on pace for global warming of more than 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, according to a recent United Nations report, a level that scientists warn could trigger cascading effects such as sea level rise, heat waves, and devastating storms.
Countries are already struggling to make the sharp cuts in emissions needed to stem the expected increase in temperatures, as wars, political tensions and tight government budgets push climate change down the list of priorities.
Trump’s approach stands in stark contrast to that of former President Joe Biden, who wanted the United States to lead global climate efforts and sought to encourage a shift away from oil and gas using subsidies and regulations.
Trump said he intends to eliminate those subsidies and regulations to support the country’s budget and grow the economy, but he said he can do so while ensuring clean air and water in the United States.
Li Xu, an expert on climate diplomacy at the Asia Community Policy Institute, said the US withdrawal threatens to undermine the US’s ability to compete with China in clean energy markets such as solar energy and electric cars.
He added: “China will win, and the United States risks falling further behind.”
