Trump Withdrawing US From Paris Climate Agreement, Again

President Trump signed an executive order Monday directing the United States to again withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, dealing a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming and once again distancing the US from its closest allies, the AP reports. Trump's action, hours after he was sworn in to a second term, echoed his directive in 2017, when he announced that the US would abandon the global Paris accord. The pact is aimed at limiting long-term global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels or, failing that, keeping temperatures at least well below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels.

Trump also signed a letter to the United Nations indicating his intention to withdraw from the 2015 agreement, which allows nations to provide targets to cut their own emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. Those targets are supposed to become more stringent over time, with countries facing a February 2025 deadline for new individual plans. The outgoing Biden administration last month offered a plan to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% by 2035. Trump's order says the Paris accord is among a number of international agreements that don't reflect US values and "steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people."

Even Republicans display some ambivalence to the idea of withdrawing from the climate accord. Slightly less than half of Republicans are in favor, while about 2 in 10 are opposed. The world is now long-term 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit above mid-1800s temperatures. Most but not all climate monitoring agencies said global temperatures last year passed the warming mark of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, and all said it was the warmest year on record. The withdrawal process from the Paris accord takes one year. Trump's previous withdrawal took effect the day after the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to former President Biden. (Trump also ordered the US to withdraw from WHO.)