US authorities have sent an official notification to the United Nations to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, the state Department said. The exit according to the terms of the agreement will be completed in a year.
In a statement, Secretary of state Michael Pompeo recalled President Donald Tump’s decision to withdraw from the climate agreement in the summer of 2017 “because of the unfair economic burden placed on American workers, businesses and taxpayers.”
According to Pompeo, the United States has “reduced all kinds of emissions” while continuing to grow its economy.
“From 2005 to 2017, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 13%, with our economy growing by more than 19%,” he added.
The Secretary of state said Washington would continue to work with partners “to increase resilience to the effects of climate change and prepare for natural disasters.” The US also intends to develop further its economy “simultaneously with reducing emissions.”
The Paris agreement was approved in December 2015 as a replacement for the Kyoto climate Protocol. The participating countries agreed to take steps to ensure that the average temperature on the planet by 2100 has not increased by more than 2°C compared to the pre-industrial era. To do this, it was decided to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
