Foremost Climate Villain

President Donald Trump is expected to pull out the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, confirming a giant setback to the agreement on controlling carbon emission.

Trump quits the deal

America is the world's second largest carbon emitter. The Paris deal was signed to cut down global warming. US was one of the 147 out of 197 countries to have ratified the accord which entered into force last November. Trump has previously called global warming a hoax and refused to accept the accord at the summit of the G7 group saying that he needed more time to decide. He wanted to cut the climate deal during his presidential campaign as he considered it bad for the US business since it allowed the foreign bureaucrats to decide how much energy US should use.

US withdrawal from the deal would have serious implication as the deal depends greatly on the commitment of the big polluter nations to cut down carbon emission that has been leading to rising sea levels and climate temperature. US withdrawal from the deal would bring it in the same line with Syria and Nicaragua who had refused to sign the deal. However, it is not yet clear whether trump plans to formally withdraw from the accord which would take him three years to do so or exit the UN climate change treaty on which the accord is based. 

What could be the implications to this step?

Many within the White House and other international leaders are against this severe decision taken by Trump. Around 40 Democratic senators have sent letters to Trump advising him not to withdraw from the deal as it would spoil America's credibility and influence on the world's stage.

Elon Musk confirmed that he would step down from the president's advisory council if Trump steps out of the deal. Such decisions by him are likely to make him lose his supporters in the future. There are dissenting voices within Trump's own party. Senior Republicans like Senator Lindsey Graham and Mitt Romney have warned that such a move could threaten US leadership. However, many economic nationalists like senior advisor Steve Bannon consider this decision quite economic as the US is trying to put its economic interest ahead of the concerns of the international community. Also, many of the trump's working class supporters stated that they are more concerned about the jobs than changing climate patterns. 

Assessment

If Trump continues with his decision of withdrawing from the climate accord, it is likely to affect US credibility and leadership in the international forum. If Trump gets impeached, the public support would be in favour of the Democrats because of trump's previous immature decisions and statements and to add on to it, the withdrawal from the climate accord will displease many supporters of the accord in the US and the international community as a whole.

Trump is seen more as a businessman than the President of the nation. He is more concerned about the accord affecting the US business than its withdrawal spoiling US leadership in the international community. This is another drastic decision taken by Trump during his presidency, this time affecting the international community. He has already lost the support of many of his party members and such a decision could invoke an actual impeachment of Trump soon. Such a decision could also bring attention to China which is the next growing super power and second largest carbon emitter that confirmed its commitment to the Paris climate deal.