Trump expected to pull US out of Paris climate change accord
Negotiators at COP 21 in Paris, December 2015. Image courtesy of the UNFCCC.
Washington (Reuters)—President Donald Trump is expected to follow through on a campaign pledge to pull the US out of a global pact to fight climate change, a source briefed confirmed. The move is expected to rally his support base at home while deepening a rift with US allies.
Trump, who has previously called global warming a hoax, had refused to endorse the landmark climate change accord at a summit of the G7 group of nations on Saturday, saying he needed more time to decide.
The decision will put the US in league with Syria and Nicaragua as the world's only non-participants in the Paris Climate Agreement. It could have sweeping implications for the 2015 accord, which relies heavily on the commitment of big polluter nations to reduce emissions of gases scientists blame for sea level rise, droughts and more frequent violent storms.
Industry impacts from withdrawal. This decision could also have wide implications for US industry. Under the pact, the US had committed to reducing its emissions by 26% to 28% from 2005 levels by 2025. The US is the world's second-biggest carbon dioxide emitter behind China.
Details of the pullout are reportedly being worked out by a team that includes EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. The choice is between a formal withdrawal that could take three years, or leaving the UN treaty that the accord is based on, which would be quicker but more extreme.
Supporters of the climate pact are concerned that a US exit could lead other nations to weaken their commitments or also withdraw, softening an accord that scientists have said is critical to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.
Canada, the EU and China have said that they will honor their commitments to the pact even if the US withdraws. India has also indicated it will stick by the deal.
Trump administration and climate change "hoax." Trump vowed during his campaign to withdraw from the Paris deal within 100 days of becoming president, as part of an effort to bolster the US oil and coal industries. That promise helped rally supporters sharing his skepticism of global efforts to police US carbon emissions.
After taking office, however, Trump faced pressure to remain in the deal from investors, international powers and business leaders, including some in the coal industry. He also had to navigate a split among his advisers on the issue.
Oil majors Shell and ExxonMobil have also supported the Paris pact, along with a number of Republican lawmakers. Several big coal companies, including Cloud Peak Energy, had publicly urged Trump to stay in the deal as a way to help protect the industry's mining interests overseas, although others asked Trump to exit the accord to help ease regulatory pressures on domestic miners.
Trump has repeatedly expressed doubts about climate change, at times calling it a hoax to weaken US industry. An overwhelming majority of scientists believe climate change is driven by human use of fossil fuels.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nick Zieminski)
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