US President Donald Trump moved to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement for a second time as he put the United Nations on notice. Donald Trump said that US- world’s second biggest emitter- was leaving the agreement owing to the “unfair one-sided Paris climate accord rip off".
He also signed a letter to the United Nations giving it notice- starting the formal process of withdrawal from the climate agreement which has been the main global effort to mitigate global warming. The withdrawal will be formalised in about a year following which the US will join Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries outside the global agreement.
Donald Trump said, “The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity."
Following the announcement, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he is confident US cities, states and businesses “will continue to demonstrate vision and leadership by working for the low-carbon, resilient economic growth that will create quality jobs."
In 2021, Joe Biden had rejoined the Paris agreement after Donald Trump confirmed he would exit it in his first term in 2017.
Donald Trump also said that the United States will exit the World Health Organization (WHO) saying the global health agency mishandled the Covid pandemic, among other international health crises.
WHO failed to act independently from the “inappropriate political influence of WHO member states" and required “unfairly onerous payments" from the US that are disproportionate to the amount provided by other countries, he said.
The decision- which would cut off WHO’s largest funding sources- was called a “big one" by Donald Trump but is a severe blow to the health agency which is currently responding to health emergencies including outbreaks of cholera, dengue, mpox and Marburg virus throughout the world.
