UK leaders urged to ‘step up’ as Donald Trump takes US out of Paris climate deal
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UK leaders have been urged to “step up again” as Donald Trump pulls the US out of the international Paris Agreement on climate change. In one of his first acts as president, Mr Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the landmark agreement, secured in the French capital in 2015, which commits countries to limiting global warming to avoid the most dangerous impacts of rising temperatures.
It is a repeat of the move by Mr Trump, in his first presidency to withdraw the US from the global agreement, which was reversed by Joe Biden as soon as he entered the White House in 2021. The president has also said he will boost fossil fuel production, cancel efforts to boost ownership of electric cars and end Mr Biden’s climate policy to channel billions of dollars into clean tech such as renewables.
Experts criticised the decision, while campaigners urged the British Government to step up and fill the void in climate action. But there were also suggestions the withdrawal would not have the impact it did last time, as other countries would continue to exploit the opportunities to boost economies through decarbonising.
Downing Street refused to criticise the move by Mr Trump but stressed the UK’s commitment to the Paris treaty. Shaun Spiers, executive director at think tank Green Alliance, said: “The world didn’t back away from the Paris Agreement on climate change when Trump did the last time he was in office.
