Trump makes a costly exit

US' pull-out from the Paris Agreement will impede global climate action efforts.

The decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement was part of a package of measures President Donald Trump announced soon after he assumed office, and all of them will set back the fight against climate change, substantially and psychologically. The US is the second highest emitter and the biggest legacy emitter of greenhouse gases which cause global warming.

It is now in the company of Iran, Yemen and Libya which are outside the Paris agreement. Trump’s announcement was expected as he had declared his intention during the campaign. He had withdrawn from the Paris agreement in his previous term but it took some time to come into effect as he had done it late in his term. Joe Biden not only reversed it but adopted some more measures to aid the fight against climate change. Trump has reversed all of them, and the decision to exit the Paris Agreement will come into effect within a year.

The record of developed countries in actions to counter climate change and in honouring their commitments to the world community is poor. The US’ performance has also been bad. All countries have delivered below-par results but the failure of the developed countries stands out because they have a greater responsibility and greater resources to deploy for the efforts.

The US’ withdrawal will particularly hurt for both these reasons. Trump has also rescinded some of Biden’s policies. He has rescinded decisions such as the ban on oil exploration in the Arctic. He has reiterated the slogan “drill, baby, drill” and issued orders that will hurt the renewable energy sector. A Biden-era directive that sought to ensure that half of all new vehicles sold in the US by 2030 would be electric has been rescinded. Trump has also ordered the shutdown of government offices and programmes aimed at protecting the poor sections of the population from the climate crisis.

Many of America’s states and cities that recognised the threat from climate change had adopted policies and taken decisions at variance with Trump’s policies even during his first term. These states had formed coalitions with major companies and institutions to proclaim, “We Are Still In.” They may continue with such policies and positions even now.

But the absence of the US government in international negotiations on climate actions will be severely felt. Countries are expected to announce more emission reduction targets next month. The UNFCCC will have to work harder to keep the negotiations on course and ensure improved outcomes. The absence of the US from the process will make it much more difficult.