Statement: Exiting or Weakening Paris Agreement Would Be a Disaster for U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following reports that Donald Trump is considering pulling out of the Paris agreement at the behest of the nationalist and fossil fuel factions of his administration, Sierra Club Global Climate Policy Director John Coequyt released the following statement:

“Thanks to American leadership, all nations united in Paris and committed to avoiding the worst consequences of the climate crisis by taking action to reduce carbon pollution and grow the booming clean energy economy. Now, a small group of the most extreme corporate polluters wants to undermine that U.S. leadership and the Paris Agreement by pulling out or weakening our commitments.

“Using the flexibility of the Paris Agreement to reduce our commitment, or even going so far as to pull us out, would be a disaster for the United States because it would provoke international blowback, harm our global leadership role, and threaten the health and safety of all families in this country.

“Trump reassessed his position on NATO because abandoning our security commitments would be untenable. The same is true of our commitments under the Paris accord. This administration must take our international obligations seriously, as the Paris agreement is broadly supported by the public, the business community, and nations across the world.”

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