In a devastating setback for global climate action, President Donald Trump wasted no time cementing his anti-environmental agenda on day one of his second term. The Trump administration confirmed plans to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement for a second time, reversing hard-fought climate progress made under the Biden presidency.
The move, outlined in a White House document entitled “President Trump’s America First Priorities”, seeks to dismantle a global collaboration of nearly 200 nations committed to curbing the worst impacts of climate change. With the stroke of a pen, Trump positions the US – the world’s second largest emitter – in the company of climate pariahs Iran, Libya, and Yemen as the only countries refusing to cooperate.
Reversing the Clean Energy Transition
Not content to merely abandon the Paris accord, Trump vows to systematically unravel the clean energy transition set in motion by his predecessor. In a throwback to his 2016 campaign rhetoric, the president pledges to “Make America Affordable and Energy Dominant Again” by decimating what he dismissively labels “the green new scam.”
Trump’s “drill baby drill” agenda threatens to expand America’s booming fossil fuel industry with reckless abandon. This comes despite the US already ranking as the world’s top producer of oil and gas, and the Biden administration issuing a record 758 drilling permits in 2023 alone. Unfettered fossil fuel extraction under a second Trump term could add a staggering 4 billion tonnes to US emissions by 2030.
A Legacy in Jeopardy
Trump’s actions deal a cruel blow to the climate legacy of former President Biden, who had rejoined the Paris Agreement in 2021 after Trump’s initial 2017 exit. As a capstone to his environmental achievements, including the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, Biden submitted ambitious new emissions targets to cut US greenhouse gases 61-66% by 2035.
“Trump is risking the climate stability and safety of the planet as part of a culture war political strategy, heedless of billions who will suffer.”
– Paul Bledsoe, former Clinton White House climate official
While the complicated rules governing the Paris Agreement delayed Trump’s first exit until November 2020, his decision to promptly repeat the process signals an unambiguous disdain for global cooperation on the existential threat of climate change.
States and Cities Vow to Lead
In the absence of federal climate leadership, the responsibility falls to local governments, businesses, and institutions to maintain the clean energy transition and emissions reductions. Climate advocates emphasize that the shift to cheaper, cleaner power like solar will continue in Republican states, which benefit most from green investment.
“Rest assured, our states, cities, businesses, and local institutions stand ready to pick up the baton of US climate leadership and do all they can – despite federal complacency – to continue the shift to a clean energy economy.”
– Gina McCarthy, former EPA Administrator
However, without the coordinated heft of federal policy and international collaboration, progress will likely slow at a time when urgent acceleration is needed. The next major UN climate summit in November 2025 represents perhaps the last chance for the global community to implement an action plan to avert warming beyond 1.5°C – a threshold scientists warn would lock in devastating climate impacts.
Climate Disasters Mount
Trump’s Paris exit comes on the heels of unprecedented climate disasters battering the nation, including $250 billion in damages from catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles just days before his inauguration. The compounding effects of drought, extreme winds, and unusually high January temperatures created a “firestorm on steroids” that experts attribute directly to escalating climate change.
Rather than respond with sober leadership, Trump callously exploited the tragedy to sow disinformation and division. With the costs of inaction spiraling out of control and time rapidly running out to change course, the president’s defiant stance in the face of calamity leaves the US – and the world – in a decidedly more dangerous position.
