Move over, reality TV, Donald Trump’s second act as president has brought more drama than an entire season of “The Apprentice.” On a chaotic Monday filled with spectacle, sharp rhetoric, and a shocking disregard for climate science, Trump took the stage in Washington, D.C., to announce that America was, yet again, voting itself out of the Paris climate agreement. Yes, my friends, the United States (world’s second-largest polluter) has decided that this particular climate crisis is simply someone else’s problem.
Trump’s announcement came with all the bells, whistles, and whiplash-inducing slogans you’d expect from the man who once suggested wind turbines cause cancer. Surrounded by supporters waving banners of “America First,” Trump signed an executive order to initiate the US withdrawal from the Paris agreement, waving off what he called the “unfair one-sided Paris climate accord rip off”. To sweeten the drama pot, he also handed a formal breakup letter to the United Nations, because apparently, even the global governing body isn’t safe from Trump’s ghosting habits. The actual withdrawal process will take about a year—because apparently, bureaucracy can still outpace political tantrums.
In true showman style, Trump punctuated the announcement with a jab aimed squarely at China, accusing it of polluting unchecked while “patriot” America nobly “protects” its fossil industries from the alleged sabotage of decarbonization policies. “The United States will not sabotage its own industries while China pollutes with impunity,” declared Trump, as coal executives somewhere high-fived in unison . Ironically, the United States has already been busy breaking oil production records, a feat achieved during both Biden’s and Trump’s respective terms.
But wait—there’s more! This isn’t just about leaving a global effort to slow climate catastrophe. Oh, no, folks. Trump is doubling down on what he describes as “energy freedom” while tossing environmental protections into a woodchipper. His administration plans to reverse Biden’s efforts to grow America’s renewable energy sector. Or, as Trump prefers to call it, the “green new scam” . For those keeping score, this approach is essentially: more drilling, more carbon emissions, and “suck it, environment.” In fact, experts predict Trump’s second presidency could contribute an eye-popping four billion tonnes of additional emissions by 2030. But, hey, at least you’ll be able to crank up the heat without worrying about your gas bill skyrocketing—oh, wait, that’s still happening.
Trump also used his inaugural day back in office to tote a new slogan: “Make America affordable and energy dominant again,” through his “America First Priorities” plan. Alongside the Paris withdrawal, this plan heralds the “drill baby drill” energy policy revival, unfettered fossil fuel expansion, and the quiet burial of anything remotely resembling clean energy ambitions. Think of it as the anti-Green New Deal—only with fewer regulations and a lot more pollution.
If all of this feels like déjà vu, that’s because it is. Back in 2017, during his first term, Trump announced the United States was ditching the Paris deal, branding it a scam even then. The difference this time? His administration is poised to bypass the original agreement’s three-year transition period, meaning America’s departure could be official within one year instead of the four it took before. Efficient destruction of climate policy? Check.
Critics have warned that this move will leave the U.S. standing in a most curious and rather lonely club alongside countries like Iran, Libya, and Yemen, the only other nations currently outside the Paris agreement. Not exactly the kind of buddies you want to list on your climate LinkedIn profile . And let’s not ignore the elephant in the room here: leaving a global agreement while climate disasters become more costly and frequent seems to undermine—well, everything. From rising sea levels to raging wildfires, Americans are unlikely to find solace in the fact that the president has prioritised keeping the fossil fuel industry happy above all else.
What does this mean for American leadership on climate? Simply put—it’s DOA. Trump’s administration seeks to turn back the clock with enthusiastic vigor, decimating environmentally conscious progress and rooting itself firmly in fossil fuel production. This, despite mounting evidence that such short-sightedness will leave major economic and environmental scars by the end of the decade. But perhaps that’s exactly the point for Trump—because if climate change is someone else’s mess, fixing it certainly won’t be his problem.
So there you have it: America’s return to “greatness” involves cozying up to frackers, giving the world’s largest polluters a pass, and pretending climate change will pause long enough for Trump’s second term to end in glory. Somewhere out there, environmental scientists are drinking a lot more coffee—or perhaps something much stronger.
When historians look back at this moment of reckless disregard, perhaps the most staggering part will be the staggering hubris. But Trump? Well, he’ll probably be too busy having rallies about “energy freedom” to care.
