Trump signs document to withdraw from Paris climate accord

U.S. President Donald Trump late Monday signed an executive order to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, marking a pivotal shift in the nation's environmental policy. The move means the United States will pull out of the Paris climate accord for the second time.

"I'm revoking nearly 80 destructive radical executive actions of the previous administration," said Trump at the signing ceremony. Having long regarded clean energy as expensive and wasteful, Trump declared a national energy emergency, emphasizing the importance of harnessing the country's vast oil and gas resources. He also vowed to redouble the efforts to extract and utilize fossil fuels. "We will drill, baby, drill," he said.

"We have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have - the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth," Trump claimed. "And we are going to use it."

Adopted in December 2015, the Paris climate accord is an international endeavor to tackle human-caused global warming and related crises, which the U.S. formally joined in September 2016.

The U.S.'s relationship with the Paris climate accord has been marked by significant shifts over the past decade. During his first term, President Trump announced the nation's initial withdrawal from the accord in June 2017, which was formalized as one of the world's top emitters of greenhouse gases exit the Paris climate accord in November 2020, dealing a major blow to international efforts to combat the climate crisis.

Following this, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on January 20, 2021, to rejoin the agreement, reaffirming America's commitment to global climate initiatives.

The latest executive order by Trump will mark another round of back-and-forth moves regarding the U.S. commitment to dealing with climate change on the global stage.

In addition to the withdrawal, Trump addressed domestic policies related to energy and the environment. He criticized the previous administration's climate efforts, stating, "We will end the Biden administration's Green New Deal." This declaration signals a reversal of policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting renewable energy.

Trump also announced plans to eliminate electric vehicle (EV) incentives, stating that these measures would help support the traditional automotive industry. His administration emphasized a shift in focus away from promoting EVs, aiming to bolster the conventional automotive manufacturing sector.

These policy changes reflect a shift in the U.S.'s approach to energy, environmental regulations and industrial strategy.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: One World Trade Center is illuminated with green light in response to President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, New York City, U.S., June 1, 2017. /VCG)