The New York Times reports:
President Trump announced Thursday that he will withdraw the United States from participation in the Paris climate accord, weakening global efforts to combat climate change and siding with conservatives who argued that the landmark 2015 agreement was harming the economy.
But he will stick to the withdrawal process laid out in the Paris agreement, which President Barack Obama joined and most of the world has already ratified. That could take nearly four years to complete, meaning a final decision would be up to the American voters in the next presidential election.
Still, Mr. Trump’s decision is a remarkable rebuke to fellow heads-of-state, climate activists, corporate executives and members of the president’s own staff, all of whom failed this week to change Mr. Trump’s mind with an intense, last-minute lobbying blitz.
It makes good on a campaign promise to “cancel” an agreement he repeatedly mocked and derided at rallies, saying it would kill American jobs. As president, he has moved rapidly to reverse Obama-era policies designed to allow the United States to meet its pollution-reduction targets as set under the agreement.
“In order to fulfill my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens, the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord but begin negotiations to reenter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States,” the president said. “We are getting out. But we will start to negotiate, and we will see if we can make a deal that’s fair. And if we can, that’s great.”
Image via HuffPost.
"We're gonna have the cleanest air, we're gonna have the cleanest water."
— Mike Madden (@MikeMadden) June 1, 2017
Trump, per a source, will follow the 4-yr rule to get out of Paris, meaning the US will leave on Nov 4, 2020.
Election Day 2020: Nov 3.— Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) June 1, 2017
WH says Paris climate deal is "crippling" US economy. Trump says, "“Small business are booming.” So which is it? #SignedConfusedInDC
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) June 1, 2017
Obama reacts to Trump withdrawal from Paris, saying the United States "joins a small handful of nations that reject the future."
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) June 1, 2017
Trump claims Paris was not an environmental agreement but a plot to hurt America's economy. He made more sense when tweeting gibberish.
— James Astill (@JamesMAstill) June 1, 2017