President Trump’s reckless decision to leave the Paris Agreement "will live in infamy,” harm our health, economy and climate

“This decision will live in infamy. President Trump has chosen to retreat. It is a course that defies logic, ignores overwhelming scientific evidence, and disregards the advice of more than 1,000 business leaders who urged him to stand up for climate action and our clean energy economy. Leaving the Paris Agreement will slow clean energy job growth while adding more pollution to our air, harming our health and fueling more chaotic extreme weather events. This is the wrong move in every way. 

“The main victims of this reckless decision will be American workers and families. It will damage the United States far more than it damages the rest of the world. Shirking our obligation to lead will leave America isolated. In fact, other world leaders have already made clear that they will move ahead with their Paris commitments — with or without the U.S.

“By abandoning our pledge, the president is lining up with Syria and Nicaragua, the only nations in the world that have refused to sign the agreement. He is giving away our good jobs to Europe and China. He is weakening our position in business deals and trade negotiations to come. And he is risking a global economic backlash that will hurt American workers and businesses even more. That is why so many leading companies — and the vast majority of Americans — oppose this disastrous move. It cannot be the last word and we will fight to see that it isn’t.

“If there can be a silver lining today, it is that this becomes a galvanizing moment for the majority of Americans who support clean energy, climate action and U.S participation in the Paris Agreement. As these women and men stand up for their children and adopt clean energy in their own lives, they will join the myriad cities, states, companies, and nations around the world who are leading the way to a cleaner, healthier future even as the president tries to go backward. Together, we can take action and control our own future.”

           - Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense Fund