United States president Donald Trump has lodged a formal request to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, initiating a 12-month process that will see the world's most powerful nation become the first country to back out of the landmark agreement on climate change.
When Trump first announced his intention to withdraw from one of President Barack Obama's crowning achievements, it was met with widespread scorn and disdain from all corners of the world.
Instead, he said, the USA would follow "a realistic and pragmatic model", using "all energy sources and technologies cleanly and efficiently", he said in a statement. "Its door remains open and we hope the USA will decide to pass it again one day, so we stand by the Paris agreement even if the USA does (not) because it is the most important global agreement on climate change".
The voluntary climate accord - signed by almost 200 countries - established individual goals for each country to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, with the central goal of keeping the increase in global temperatures this century "well below" 2 degrees Celsius.
The Obama administration signed the United States onto the 2015 pact, promising a 26-28 per cent cut in USA greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 from 2005 levels.
Trump first announced his intention to withdraw the USA from the Paris deal in June 2017, but Monday - three years after the deal entered into force - was the earliest opportunity for the administration to legally notify of its withdrawal.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo's announcement Monday of the formal USA retreat came on the first day that it was possible for the U.S.to make the move.
Announcing the move, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated Trump's rationale in 2017 that the accord would disadvantage USA businesses.
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The announcement is not unexpected as United States President Donald Trump had announced plans to exit the global climate agreement in June 2017.
"We will continue to work with our global partners to enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change and prepare for and respond to natural disasters", Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Monday. The Paris agreement, as insufficient as it is, stands as a crucial step by world leaders to try to save us from ourselves. The global agreement aims to keep the planet from warming 2 degrees Celsius beyond pre-industrial levels.
Trump won the 2016 election just days after Washington ratified the deal in November 2016. The withdrawal is still subject to the outcome of next year's USA presidential election - if Mr Trump loses, the victor may decide to change course.
Former Vice President Al Gore, who made climate change his signature issue, characterised the decision as a mistake but said there was still reason for hope. He's largely stopped making the brazenly inaccurate claim that climate change is a "hoax", instead making a more nuanced but also spurious claim that climate policy would mean wrecking the economy. It's also spreading diseases into new parts of the world, costing more lives.
The talks are due to finalise the rulebook of the Paris accord and resolve contentious issues over how carbon credits can be traded between countries - technical discussions which are key to ensure carbon markets encourage additional emissions cut.
Trump has cast the climate accord as elitist, saying when announcing his decision that he was "elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris".
"Trump can run from the Paris agreement, but he can't hide from the climate crisis", she said.
Trump has been promising to pull out of the Paris deal since 2017, often mischaracterizing the terms of the agreement, which are voluntary.
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