Climate: Trump Raises Doubts About US Withdrawal From Paris Agreement

Donald Trump in Washington, May 17, 2016 (photo illustration).

The whole world is waiting, but Donald Trump seems determined to prolong the suspense on the Paris agreement on climate. When several American media announced his intention to withdraw, he contented himself with a tweet promising a decision "  in the coming days".

An American withdrawal would be a real camouflage, 18 months after this agreement considered historical. Beijing and Washington, led by Barack Obama, were prominent protagonists.

China and the United States alone account for nearly 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making them the world's two biggest polluters, and the Obama administration sent a strong signal As a target to reduce US emissions by 28% by 2025 compared to 2005.

A withdrawal would reveal the United States as an outsider: all G7 participants who had just finished in Sicily, with the exception of Donald Trump, reaffirmed their commitment to the climate.

Contradictory signals

The new US president had sent contradictory signals since his installation at the White House, while during his election campaign he promised to exit the Paris agreement and end the "  war on coal".

But its own administration is not unanimous on the issue, and the business world has spoken, the great majority, for the maintenance of the United States in the climate agreement. A dozen large groups, including ExxonMobil, the agrochemical giant DuPont, or Google, Intel or Microsoft, had urged Donald Trump not to leave.

Article 28

Concretely, Donald Trump could invoke Article 28 of the Paris Agreement, which allows the signatories to leave it, but due to the planned procedure, this exit would not become effective until 2020. Another solution could be Out of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCTAD).

In any case, the European Union and China will reaffirm their support for the text, whatever the position of the US President, at a joint summit in Brussels on the weekend, a European leader said. Covered with anonymity.

I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017