Time For Going Away Gifts?

Exiting the Paris accord would have grave consequences for the U.S.— and benefit other nations.

- Eric Roston

Take a deep breath. Donald Trump’s mercurial nature may mean that the U.S. president will shift his position on climate policy once again. Or—take another deep breath—maybe not.

On the morning of May 31, alarms issued from various quarters following reports Trump was about to make good on a campaign promise to withdraw from the historic 195-nation Paris Agreement aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Just a few weeks earlier, White House insiders had seemed to indicate that his daughter Ivanka’s pro-Paris views might be holding sway. The potential consequences of Washington abandoning the climate pact would be grave not only for the planet but also for the U.S., its economic competitiveness, technological innovation, and leadership of the world in the 21st century.

A U.S. exit from the Paris accord would be a rupture in policy, a dramatic departure from the record of the last four U.S. administrations, both Democratic and Republican. The two George Bushes, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama held a pretty consistent line about international climate politics. It went like this: Washington wouldn’t go along with any international agreement that gives poor countries a pass on carbon reduction. The warming atmosphere was a global problem, and everybody must play some part in the solution.