President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement signals a stark shift in U.S. policy, prioritizing domestic interests over global environmental cooperation.
BY PC Bureau
President Donald Trump, in a move echoing his first term, signed an executive order Monday directing the United States to withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement. The decision, made hours after Trump’s inauguration for his second term, marks a significant blow to global efforts to combat climate change and deepens the rift between the U.S. and its allies.
The Paris accord, adopted in 2015, seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, with a fallback target of staying well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Nations participating in the agreement are required to submit progressively stricter plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with new targets due in February 2025.
President Trump signs a series of Day 1 executive orders before a crowd of supporters in Washington's Capital One Arena.
They include a freeze on new federal government regulations and hires, withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, requiring federal workers to return… pic.twitter.com/JXvFtZKSXo
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 21, 2025
Trump also signed a letter to the United Nations, formally signaling his intent to withdraw from the pact. He criticized the agreement as disproportionately burdening American taxpayers while benefiting countries that, he argued, do not align with U.S. values or interests. “The United States’ successful track record of advancing both economic and environmental objectives should be a model for other countries,” Trump stated.
Trump pulls out of the Paris Climate Accord.
So folks not participating include
China, India, Russia, USA
That's well over half the world's emissions.
And they're growing.
Pretending otherwise is just dumb.
We must learn to live in a growing CO2 world pic.twitter.com/QV0kEAmFup
— Latimer Alder (@latimeralder) January 21, 2025
This decision reverses climate commitments made by the outgoing Biden administration, which had set an ambitious goal of cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by over 60% by 2035. Critics of Trump’s move, including Laurence Tubiana, a key architect of the Paris accord and CEO of the European Climate Foundation, expressed disappointment. Tubiana described the withdrawal as unfortunate but maintained that global action to combat climate change “is stronger than any single country’s politics and policies.”
The executive order underscores Trump’s long-standing skepticism of international agreements, labeling the Paris accord as one of many that fail to prioritize American interests. Trump’s decision highlights his administration’s emphasis on domestic energy independence and economic growth over multilateral environmental commitments.
