Donald Trump withdraws US from Paris Agreement!

KAKALI DAS

On January 20^th, 2025, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47^th president of the United States. What does a Trump 2.0 presidency mean for the world? What are the implications for climate change?

Donald Trump has signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, marking his second exit in less than a decade.

Following this, he sent a formal letter to the United Nations notifying the global body of the country’s intent to leave the 2015 accord.

The accord aims to limit long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels or, failing that, to keep temperatures at least well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The accord is voluntary and allows nations to set their own targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas.

“I will end Kamala’s war one American energy, and we will ‘drill baby drill’”, Donald Trump

“Windmills litter our country; they are littered all over our country. The windmills are driving the whales crazy,” Donald Trump further said.

With this move, the US joins a small group of nations, including Iran, Libya, and Yemen, that are not part of the accord. According to the agreement’s rules, withdrawal takes effect one year after submitting formal notice to the UN.

Trump is a staunch climate sceptic—one of the few remaining, I would argue. In a time when climate change is an undeniable reality, Donald Trump has risen to power not by chance but with a mandate to reverse much of the progress made in combating climate change.

During his previous term, Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement, a global pact where nations united in their commitment to combat climate change and reduce emissions.

He claimed that the agreement was anti-American, benefiting other countries while disadvantaging the United States, despite the fact that the U.S. is the world’s largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases.

Donald Trump has consistently dismissed this, arguing that the Paris Agreement gives countries like China and India a free pass. However, his stance goes beyond the Paris Agreement; this time, he has taken a definitive position on prioritizing his country’s energy security needs.

The United Nations Secretary-General, AntónioGuterres, through a spokesperson, expressed confidence that U.S. cities, states, and businesses will continue to advocate for low-carbon economic growth despite the federal government’s withdrawal.

After being sworn in, Trump not only initiated the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord but also declared a national energy emergency to expand drilling in the country, which is one of the world’s top oil and gas producers. He also announced plans to scrap vehicle emission standards, which he described as an electric vehicle mandate.

Moreover, he vowed to restrict the expansion of wind farms. In protest, climate activists in London hung a banner opposite the Houses of Parliament that read “Trump Climate Genocide.” The activists stated that Trump’s climate policies would have devastating consequences.

Trump has also called for reducing investment in renewable energy, labeling it as anti-American, pro-China, and anti-jobs. His vision focuses on returning to a “drill, baby, drill” approach. He attributes the rising energy prices to the green energy transition implemented under President Biden’s administration.

Let me present some facts here. Under President Biden, the United States produced and exported more oil and gas than any nation in history, reaching a record 13.5 million barrels per day.

It’s not as though the U.S. wasn’t already drilling and consuming fossil fuels. However, President Trump now promises to remove even the pretense of addressing this issue and to dismantle any policies introduced by Biden that aimed to transition the country toward a low-carbon future. This is deeply concerning.

This is especially worrying not only because of what the U.S. does within its own borders but also because of the signal it sends to the rest of the world. Rich, industrialized countries, which bear the primary responsibility for reducing emissions, are already struggling to meet their targets, and such actions by the U.S. could further undermine global efforts.

These countries have not made the necessary transition away from fossil fuels. As the pressure to act intensifies, they are all searching for excuses—and Donald Trump’s return provides a convenient one. This comes at a time when the world urgently needs decisive action to combat climate change.

Take a look at what’s happening in his own backyard, in California. Even as Trump takes office as the 47^th president and the most anti-climate change leader, Los Angeles is engulfed in massive wildfires. These are not minor incidents—they are catastrophic, causing widespread destruction and significant loss of property.

Let’s be clear—climate change is not about a single fire or a single cold wave. It’s about the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events that we are witnessing today.

There is another reality to consider—when Donald Trump first came to power in 2016, green technologies were not as advanced as they are today. Today, countries and companies have significant stakes in the green technology sector, and some nations now possess the capacity to supply these technologies to the world.

We now have the evidence that it is possible to reinvent and do things differently. Moreover, nature is sending a clear message that we must. This, I believe, is what the next four years under Trump will look like.

The increasing impacts of climate change will not only hurt the poor but also affect the rich, which will require us to approach things differently. This is the hope, the fight, and the reality—that the existential threat of climate change can be addressed.

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