Media: Global climate action at risk as US plans to quit Paris Agreement again

Global efforts to combat climate change will face a severe setback if US President-elect Donald Trump once again pulls the country out of the Paris Agreement – the international treaty on climate change, warned Wopke Hoekstra, the European Union's head of climate change policy.

According to sources close to Trump’s transition team, the team is preparing executive orders to withdraw the United States, currently the world's second-largest polluter after China, from the key international climate treaty, Caliber.Az reports, citing Reuters.

"If that were to happen, that would be a serious blow for international climate diplomacy," Hoekstra said.

He emphasized that such a move would require other nations to "double down on climate diplomacy" to maintain momentum in global climate efforts. "There's no alternative to make sure that, in the end, everyone chips in, because climate change is indiscriminate," Hoekstra added. "This truly is a problem that the world needs to solve together."

The Paris Agreement, which nearly 200 countries have signed, serves as the cornerstone of UN climate negotiations. It focuses on reducing emissions and funding efforts to combat climate change. The US has historically played a central role in these talks, including collaborating with China, the world’s largest polluter, to help shape recent global climate agreements.

A reversal of this stance under Trump, who has previously dismissed climate change as a "hoax" and withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement during his first term, could reshape global climate diplomacy once again. Last month, Trump issued a warning to the EU, urging it to purchase more US oil and gas or face tariffs.

It is important to note that the United States has had a complex relationship with the Paris Agreement, marked by withdrawal, re-entry, and potential future policy shifts.

In June 2017, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, citing economic burdens and unfairness to American workers. The withdrawal process, as stipulated by the agreement, required a formal notice, which the U.S. submitted on November 4, 2019. The withdrawal became official on November 4, 2020.

On January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the Paris Agreement. The U.S. officially re-entered the accord on February 19, 2021. 

By Khagan Isayev