Donald Trump has signed an executive order signalling his intention to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement.
The US president signed the order in front of supporters to rapturous applause at an arena in Washington DC.
He stated the order was aimed at quitting what he called the “unfair one-sided Paris climate accord rip off”.
Trump also signed a letter to the United Nations giving it notice that the US was exiting, which starts the formal process of withdrawal from the world’s main effort to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
The United States is the second-biggest emitter of planet-heating pollution, and will join Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries outside the global agreement when enacted.
He also signalled his intention to withdraw from the World Health Organisation, citing the organisation’s “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises.”
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