August 8, 2017

Trump officially files to withdraw from Paris accord

The Trump administration officially filed to formally withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, but the president said he would seek “more favorable” terms and consider re-engaging in the future, Bloomberg News reported Aug. 4.

The U.S. State Department reportedly said in a statement that it notified the U.N. that the U.S. will leave the agreement as soon as possible, although this process could still take years to fully execute.

The initial terms of the deal don’t allow the U.S. to formally file for removal from the deal until Nov. 4, 2019, at which point the year long formal withdrawal process would begin, according to a report on the withdrawal from The Hill. Under these terms, the earliest the U.S. can actually be removed from the climate deal is November 2020.

“The United States supports a balanced approach to climate policy that lowers emissions while promoting economic growth and ensuring energy security,” the State Department reportedly said in its notice to the U.N.

However, the State Department also emphasized that President Donald Trump would consider staying in the agreement if it was “reconfigured to be better for U.S. interests,” these interests including those of business and taxpayers, Bloomberg reported.

However, following Trump’s June 1 announcement of his decision to remove the U.S. from the Paris accord, Paul Gentiloni of Italy, Emmanuel Macron of France and Angela Merkel of Germany collectively released a statement in response, calling “the momentum generated in Paris in December 2015 irreversible,” and stating that “the Paris Agreement can not be renegotiated as it is a vital tool for our planet, societies and economies.”