United States formally leaves the Paris climate agreement

As of Tuesday, the United States is no longer a party to the Paris agreement on climate change, becoming the only country in the world to abandon the international accord, the New York Times reported. The formal departure comes one year after President Trump signed an executive order to begin the withdrawal process.

Earlier this month Mr. Trump said the United States would also leave the United Nations treaty that underlies the Paris agreement, a treaty the Senate unanimously ratified in 1992 and that was signed by President George H.W. Bush. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement that Mr.

Trump was withdrawing the U.S. from “radical” international agreements and called the move an “America First victory.” European Union climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said abandoning the accord is a “clear absence of leadership” that will have “significant negative impacts” on America’s reputation.

The United States is currently the planet’s second largest climate polluter after China and the largest historic emitter of greenhouse gases, the report said. The Times noted Mr. Trump also withdrew the United States from the Paris accord during his first term and that President Joseph R.

Key Topics

Politics, Paris Agreement, Donald Trump, United Nations, European Union, Greenhouse Gases