President Trump has told confidants that the Unites States will pull out of the Paris agreement on climate change, according to the New York Times, citing three sources with direct knowledge.
The Times reported, “A senior White House official cautioned that the specific language of the president’s expected announcement was still in flux Wednesday morning.”
This is a major development, as pulling would signal to the rest of the world that climate change isn’t a priority of the Trump administration. Further, it could be seen as a shot at former President Obama, who was instrumental to forming the deal when he signed on in August 2016.
Nearly 200 countries committed to the agreement, which aims to limit global warming by less than 2 degrees Celsius. The participating countries also agree to report on progress in lowering emissions.
Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. cannot officially formally withdraw until November 2019.
As reports surfaced about his decision, Trump posted on Twitter that he will make his intentions known soon.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/869903459511918592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F31%2Fclimate%2Ftrump-quits-paris-climate-accord.html
More to come…