RFE: Trump Announces That U.S. Will Withdraw From Paris Climate Accord
President Donald Trump says the United States will withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, saying the accord is detrimental to the U.S. economy and that he will open negotiations to seek a new deal.
Trump on June 1 said in the Rose Garden of the White House that he was fulfilling his "solemn duty to protect America and its citizens” and restoring U.S. “sovereignty” by “getting out” of the climate agreement signed by 194 other countries.
"The bottom line is the Paris accord is very unfair, at the highest level, to the United States," he said. "The agreement is massive redistribution of United States wealth to other countries."
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Update #1: FULL SPEECH: President Trump's remarks on Paris climate agreement -- The Hill
Update #2: Trump abandons global climate pact; allies voice dismay -- Reuters
Update #3: Trump announces US withdrawal from Paris climate accord -- France 24
WNU Editor: So what will be different with the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord? Western countries will still implement the accord .... making energy resources that they regard as dirty more expensive to use, while supporting energy technologies that cannot compete on the open market with financial support to make them competitive. Poorer countries will still be doing what they have always been doing .... deforestation/limited environmental standards/and growth policies that are not sustainable .... while blaming the West for why their country is an environmental disaster. China and Russia will say that they will respect the accord .... but with no mechanism in place to enforce the accord .... I doubt that they will meet their obligations. And as for the U.S. .... the adoption of "green energy" and the growth of alternative energy sources will continue .... regardless of Trump. This is now part of the culture (going green), and it will only grow with time. As to the impact on the climate itself .... in the past 1,000 years the world has experienced extremes in climate .... so here is an easy prediction .... this will continue. And as long as the sun is still responsible for 99% of the earth's climate .... (and yes .... I know that a lot of those who support climate change are disputing the role that the sun has in influencing the climate for the past century) .... IMHO we will still be dependent more on what it does than on what we do with our emissions. But the biggest impact on this US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement will be on the political level .... especially from those who were hoping to use the accord to implement their economic policies and programs. Do not get me wrong .... these policies will still be implemented globally (minus the U.S. federal government) ..... but because of their financial costs via through tax policies and regulations we may end up with an uneven playing field .... with the U.S. enjoying the benefits and advantages of not being bound by its Paris climate commitments. How big will this benefit be for the U.S. .... I do not know. But if the "benefit" is big .... it could present some problems for those countries when it comes to explaining to their voters on why they must accept a lower standard of living so that the rate of growth in global warming will save us a degree or two in the distant future. So here is another easy prediction .... this is going to be a tough sell .... and all the doom and gloom stories and computer models on what the earth is going to be like in 50 years is not going to change that.