President Trump announced the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement Monday shortly after his inauguration, echoing a similar decision in his first term that was later reversed by then-President Biden.
The White House confirmed the withdrawal in a memo to Republican House members seen by The Hill, saying, “President Trump will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.”
The process of practical withdrawal from the agreement will not be immediate. In his first term, Trump announced the pullout in 2017, with the process becoming official two years later.
The agreement, signed under the Obama administration in 2015, comprises nearly 200 countries that aim to collaborate on keeping global surface temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
After the announced withdrawal is finalized, the U.S. and Iran will be the only major greenhouse gas emitters that are members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and not party to the agreement.
Gina McCarthy, who served as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator for the Obama administration and a senior climate adviser for the Biden administration, condemned the decision in a statement to The Hill and said the responsibility would fall on states and municipalities to make up for the withdrawal.
“By leaving the Paris Agreement, this Administration has abdicated its responsibility to protect the American people and our national security. But rest assured, our states, cities, businesses, and local institutions stand ready to pick up the baton of U.S. climate leadership and do all they can – despite federal complacency – to continue the shift to a clean energy economy. Day-in and day-out state and local efforts will be focused on delivering good-paying jobs, lowering energy bills, cutting pollution, and protecting our health,” she said.
The announcement is one of several day-one moves by Trump reversing Biden-era climate policies, with more rollbacks likely to follow in the days and weeks ahead.
Emily Brooks contributed.
