UN climate chief warns stepping back from climate cooperation will hurt U.S. economy

The United States' decision to withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will leave the United States less secure and less prosperous, its Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said on Thursday, January 8.

"While all other nations are stepping forward together, this latest step back from global leadership, climate cooperation and science can only harm the U.S. economy, jobs and living standards, as wildfires, floods, mega-storms and droughts get rapidly worse," Stiell said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Wednesday directing his country's withdrawal from 66 international organizations, including the UN climate framework.

Stiell cautioned that the decision would impose steep costs on American households and businesses. "It will mean less affordable energy, food, transport and insurance for American households and businesses, as renewables keep getting cheaper than fossil fuels, as climate-driven disasters hit American crops, businesses and infrastructure harder each year, and as oil, coal and gas volatility drives more conflicts, regional instability and forced migration," he said.

Stiell also warned of fewer American manufacturing jobs, as "every other major economy ramps up its clean energy investments, powering economic growth and energy security."