President Donald Trump will once again withdraw the United States from the Paris climate deal, the White House said on Monday, removing the world's biggest historic emitter from global efforts to fight climate change for the second time in a decade.
The decision would place the United States alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries in the world outside the 2015 pact, in which governments agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
The announcement, in a document from the White House, reflects Trump’s skepticism about global warming, which he has called a hoax, and fits in with his broader agenda to unfetter US oil and gas drillers from regulation so they can maximize output.
Trump also withdrew the US from the Paris deal during his first term in office, though the process took years and was immediately reversed by the Biden presidency in 2021. The withdrawal this time around is likely to take less time – as little as a year - because Trump will not be bound by the deal’s initial three-year commitment.
This time could also be more damaging to global climate efforts, said Paul Watkinson, a former climate negotiator and senior policy advisor for France.
It came as the President said on Monday in his inauguration address he will declare a national energy emergency aimed at boosting US oil and gas production and lowering costs for US consumers.
"The inflation crisis was caused by massive over-spending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency," Trump said in his inauguration speech in the US Capitol. "We will drill, baby, drill."
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A Trump official speaking earlier in the day did not provide details on the national emergency, but Trump and his allies have signalled they would use the authority to rapidly approve new oil, gas, and electricity projects that typically take years to permit.
"The common theme is really unleashing affordable and reliable American energy," the official said. "Because energy permeates every single part of our economy, it's also key to restoring our national security and exerting American energy dominance around the world."
Trump has said the United States is in an artificial-intelligence arms race with China and others, making the industry’s voracious power needs a national priority.
Trump is also expected to sign another order aimed at utilizing natural resources in Alaska, repealing several of Biden's electric vehicle initiatives and protecting gas-powered appliances from federal and local regulators who want to phase them out of homes and businesses, the incoming official said.
Alaska has been a contentious area of the country when it comes to energy and the environment, with Republicans having long seen opportunities for oil and gas production there while Democrats have sought to preserve pristine land.
The official said Trump would take "decisive action to unleash Alaska's natural resource potential," citing an abundance of resources such as oil and gas, seafood, timber and critical minerals. No further details were provided, but the official said past regulations by the Interior and Agriculture departments had limited Alaska's production.
Li Shuo, an expert in climate diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate agreement risks undermining the United States' ability to compete with China in clean energy markets such as solar power and electric vehicles.
"China stands to win, and the U.S. risks lagging further behind," he said.
