For Immediate Release

Monday, November 4, 2019

Washington DC — The Trump administration has officially begun withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. The process will take an entire year, leading to the day after the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections. Trump first announced he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement on June 1st, 2017. 197 countries remain in the agreement, making the U.S. the only country to oppose it.

Trump is unanimously opposed by every Democratic Presidential candidate who are in agreement that the Paris Climate Agreement sets a key target for the U.S. in order to limit warming. Some candidates, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro, and Joe Biden, have committed to going beyond the Paris agreement, with different target years respectively. Senator Sanders’ plan is currently the most ambitious, with a reduction of domestic emissions by at least 71 percent by 2030. 

The following is a statement from Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, 350.org North America Director:

“A year from now, the next President will have the opportunity to not just get us back on track to meet the necessary targets of the Paris Agreement, but to pair it with a climate agenda that is truly at the scale of the climate crisis we face. The Paris Climate Agreement is the bare minimum action required to address the climate crisis. Trump’s irresponsible withdrawal from the Paris Agreement further exposes that a climate denier sits in the White House.  While wildfires have raged and floods have destroyed homes, Trump has threatened the most basic protections communities have against climate impacts. 

It is, therefore, a critical time for bold climate leadership and we look to the Democratic Presidential candidates to deliver a vision that goes above and beyond to defend frontline and Indigenous communities. This is why 350 Action will be hitting the streets to register voters, push the Democratic candidates’ climate ambition, and ultimately ensure Trump never has the chance to exit the Paris Climate Agreement.”

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