Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
june 2017

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President Trump withdraws U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement

June 1, 2017

President Donald Trump announced his intent to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord on Thursday, June 1. The Paris Accord is an internationally recognized agreement through which member countries try to limit global temperature rise and protect countries vulnerable to negative effects of global temperature rise, while simultaneously maintaining their own national economic objectives. The White House statement on the withdrawal cites that the Paris Agreement negatively impacts U.S. private industries such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas. The U.S. exit will not be official until November 4, 2020, following a three-year waiting period and one-year deliberation phase.

Chief Executive Officers of petroleum companies such as ExxonMobil Co., Chevron Co., and Shell Oil Co. have publicly announced support of and adherence to the Paris Accord. Most of these companies primarily operate internationally and expect little change in their operating practices after the U.S. officially withdraws from the Paris Accord. The Industrial Energy Consumers of America (ICEA), however, published a letter to President Trump urging him to leave the Paris Accord, saying that the agreement makes US companies less competitive than those of China or India.

Response within the U.S. to the nation’s exit from the Paris Accord varied. Multiple cities and states including Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles have committed to upholding the standards of the Paris Accord within their own legislative jurisdiction. Congressional responses have included the introduction of multiple bipartisan bills, such as the SUPER Act (H.R.2858), which limits production of greenhouse gases that are short-lived but trap significant quantities of heat in the atmosphere.

Sources: White House Office of the Press Secretary