President Trump's aides are deliberating Tuesday over how America should address the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, the non-binding document signed by former President Barack Obama that aims to reduce global levels of carbon dioxide, The New York Times reports.
On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to pull out of the accord, but has since said he has an "open mind to it. We're going to look very carefully." Besides the U.S., 125 nations or groups have already ratified the agreement.
By having signed the accord, the U.S. vowed to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by between 26 and 28 percent by 2025. Trump could theoretically pull from the agreement with no consequences, or remain but simply not act to reach the emissions goal. Industry sources reportedly told Axios that they expect the U.S. will "remain a part of the pact but weaken or jettison the Obama-era carbon cutting pledge in the non-binding pact, something effectively already underway anyway as EPA and other agencies unwind Obama policies."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While America's withdrawal wouldn't necessarily unravel the agreement, "any sign that the administration would not be serious will provoke an international reaction that would undermine the administration's foreign policy," said Nigel Purvis, former President George W. Bush's top environmental diplomat.
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A monstrous parade, a hungry tortoise, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Should we be eating less fat – or more?Podcast Plus who will benefit from the surprise Dutch election result? And how can art improve our health?
-
AI models may be developing a ‘survival drive’Under the radar Chatbots are refusing to shut down
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
