President of the United States, Donald Trump, has once again decided to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. Despite the previous withdrawal taking effect after a four-year waiting period, it will only be twelve months before the 2025 withdrawal begins. It seems President Trump does not want to stop there, signalling a withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, an international framework for climate change cooperation.
A federal withdrawal of support for the clean energy sector risks the US falling behind internationally. Green energy production is a burgeoning field with vast technological advancements and opportunities for job and economic growth. Due to the Trump administration, the US may lag behind the advancements being made globally. Many are worried that through Trump recalling more than one hundred environmental rules, the United States’ emissions will soar, while the renewable energy sector suffers.
The US has historically been the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, if presently second to China. A world leader outright denying climate change in this new era of extreme weather, raises political anxieties for many. The year has begun with the outbreak of wildfires in California, while catastrophic droughts and extreme flooding continue.
The United States leaving the agreement may set a worrying precedent for other nations to withdraw support. Without US financial aid and backing, it is unclear how successful efforts to curb global emissions will be, particularly as the next five years are the most significant for hitting pledged targets. Under the current US administration, emissions may rise to 36% higher than the current policy.
It is clear that during these most fragile years, the United States will not stand alongside other nations in endeavouring to reduce emissions. With this being the second time President Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement, questions arise about US reliability on a global scale. Not only does this damage US credibility internationally, but it highlights a complete disregard for scientific efforts and global cooperation on this issue. It highlights that the Trump administration systematically disregards long-term climate goals and an ignorance of scientific efforts on a global scale.