President Donald Trump is withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement – again.
Under the international climate accord, first negotiated in 2015, countries around the world agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit global warming and forestall the worst impacts of climate change.
Trump has argued the agreement imposes unfair burdens on the American economy, and he withdrew the U.S. during his first term in office. under President Joe Biden in 2021.
On Monday, Trump started the process over again, signing an order onstage before supporters at the Capital One Arena, just hours after taking office.
"I'm immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris climate accord rip-off," he said during earlier remarks, to loud cheers from the audience. "The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity."
China is currently the largest global emitter of greenhouse gases, though it also leads the world in the deployment of renewable energy. U.S. emissions have been decreasing since the mid-2000s, but it remains the largest historical contributor of total carbon dioxide emissions.
The move to exit the Paris Agreement wasn't a surprise, given that Trump's .
But it comes after , as major , and just months after hit communities from Florida to North Carolina. Climate change is from hurricanes, driving , and making more intense and
Environmental groups harshly criticized the decision. Rachel Cleetus, policy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental watchdog group, said the human and economic consequences of climate change will only grow if the U.S. doesn't do its part to limit warming.
"Even now…we're seeing these droughts, storms, heat waves, flooding, sea level rise accelerating," Cleetus said. "It is just stunning already the kinds of impacts that are unfolding."
Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and an architect of the Paris Agreement, said in a statement that the U.S. pulling out of the deal is unfortunate. But, she said, international climate action "has proven resilient and is stronger than any single country's politics and policies."
"This moment should serve as a wake-up call to reform the system, ensuring that those most affected – communities and individuals on the front lines – are at the center of our collective governance," Tubiana said.
An ambitious global tool — that has so far fallen short
Under the Paris Agreement, nearly every country in the world agreed to a goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.
But the to meet these goals. Last year was the , as global average temperatures hovered around that 1.5 degree Celsius level of warming.
As part of the Paris Agreement's terms, countries submit targets for emissions reductions and provide periodic updates on their progress. Before Biden left office, he announced a new U.S. goal: to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% from peak levels by 2035, a goal that would likely require a rapid transition away from fossil fuels. That target is now moot.
In the order signed Monday, Trump directed his U.N. ambassador to submit formal notice of the U.S. exit. (Trump's nominee for ambassador to the U.N., New York Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, has not yet been confirmed by the Senate.) While the order says U.S. withdrawal will be effective "immediately" once notice is given, the Paris Agreement itself stipulates that the process takes a full year.
Though Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement during his first term in office, it wasn't easy to leave. The administration was bound by restrictions on exiting the accord during its first few years. It ultimately took nearly four years before the U.S. was actually out of the agreement, said David Waskow, who leads  international climate policy and politics at the World Resources Institute.
"That is very different this time," Waskow said.
Leaving the accord could prove damaging, Waskow said, by potentially sidelining the U.S. from some clean energy and green tech markets and reducing leverage with other countries. That could hamper some of Trump's broader economic goals for the U.S.
Trump has been hostile to many renewable energy initiatives and other climate measures, including efforts to promote electric vehicles. His nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, in his confirmation hearing, but has indicated the Trump administration would many environmental regulations.
Revoking Biden-era climate efforts
Trump also issued a barrage of other orders Monday aimed at boosting fossil fuels and undoing Biden-era initiatives to limit greenhouse gas emissions. He declared a and revoked on climate change. New orders instruct agencies to roll back restrictions on offshore drilling and reconsider protections for Alaska's.
Trump also issued a on federal lands, pausing new leases and permits for both onshore and offshore wind farms. He revoked an executive order that compelled government regulators to. And he instructed agencies to review any regulations that might "burden the development of domestic energy resources."
That could include major Biden administration climate policies, including EPA rules limiting and new fees on .
Julia Simon contributed reporting to this story.
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