The U.S. Is The Loser as Trump Dumps the Climate Accord

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. They were wrong. The potential consequences of Washington abandoning the climate pact are 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.