WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is pulling the United States out of the Paris climate agreement according to an executive order he signed Monday.
Under the Paris climate agreement, participating countries promised to work together to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by making yearly pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
“In recent years, the United States has purported to join international agreements and initiatives that do not reflect our country’s values or our contributions to the pursuit of economic and environmental objectives,” the White House said in the order . “Moreover, these agreements steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people.”
“The United States will consider its withdrawal from the Agreement and any attendant obligations to be effective immediately upon this provision of notification,” it added.
Trump previously pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement during his first term. The U.S. will now join Libya, Yemen, and Iran as nations that are not part of the Paris Agreement.
The United States is responsible for 20% of all cumulative greenhouse gas emissions — the largest share of human emissions.
Trump became the first President to declare a “national energy emergency,” and in a separate executive order he told the heads of executive offices and federal agencies to “eliminate harmful, coercive ‘climate’ policies that increase the costs of food and fuel.”
