 "US President Donald Trump signs executive orders during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. Source: AFP.")
In his first hours in office, the 47th US President, Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement.
This is the second time he has done so. Trump pulled the US out of the Paris climate agreement during his first term, only to have former President Joe Biden rejoin the pact on his first day.
The decision to exit from the Paris climate agreement aligns with Trump’s continued scepticism about global warming. He has persistently referred to climate change as a “hoax” and seeks to free US oil and gas industries from environment regulation.
Why is Trump pulling out the US from the Paris climate agreement worrying?
The US is the world’s second-largest emitter of planet-warming greenhouse gases and its pulling out from the pact would leave a major hole in international efforts to curtail greenhouse gas emissions.
As per an analysis of historical data by the UK-based climate publication Carbon Brief, the US is responsible for 20 per cent of all cumulative greenhouse gas emissions — the largest share of human emissions since the industrial revolution ended in 1850.
Since 2005, China has ranked as the top emitter, the US being the second which is followed by India, according to data from environment data platform Climate Watch.
In the order, the White House said that “these agreements steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people.”
The order said the US ambassador to the United Nations will submit a written notification of the withdrawal.
The process could be expedited and take just around a year compared to the lengthy process required by the original terms of the accord.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMeanwhile, in his inauguration speech, Trump said that he will declare a “national energy emergency", despite the US producing more oil currently than any other country.
As per a list of priorities from his press office, the newly sworn-in US President intends to streamline permitting and review regulations that “impose undue burdens on energy production and use, including mining and processing of non-fuel minerals."
What is the Paris climate agreement that the US will no longer be a part of?
The Paris Agreement was signed in 2016. Participating nations vowed 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, participating nations, including the US, have even pledged billions of dollars to funds that assist developing nations with climate adaptation and mitigation.
The UN, in its recent climate report, warned that the world is currently on track for a 3 degree Celsius temperature rise by the end of the century, a scenario that could trigger devastating heat waves, storms, and rising sea levels.
Is the US first to leave the Paris climate agreement?
No. The US now joins Libya, Yemen and Iran as nations that are not part of the Paris Agreement.
With the US exiting the global stage of climate action, several experts have expressed concerns that other nations may follow suit.
With inputs from agencies