Adam Beitman, 202-670-5585 or adam.beitman@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Myron Ebell announced that President Trump intends to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. Ebell ran the Environmental Protection Agency’s transition team prior to Trump’s inauguration.
According to the terms of the Agreement, no country can begin the withdrawal process until three years after the Agreement enters into force. The Agreement, which entered into force on November 4, 2016, has been formally joined by nearly 130 nations, and since election day, dozens of countries have reaffirmed their commitment to the Agreement, including both China and India.
A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that 56 percent of Americans oppose withdrawal from the Agreement.
In response, Sierra Club Global Climate Policy Director John Coequyt released the following statement:
"If true, this would be a mistake of world historic consequence. It’s the kind of wildly irresponsible action that you couldn’t imagine an American president taking until last week. Our planet is in crisis and we must do everything in our power to tackle it, not move backward.
“Walking away from our seat at the table and the Paris Agreement would damage our relations with countries around the world, undermine our national security, and set us backward in the global race to seize the opportunities of an economy powered by good paying clean energy jobs.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.7 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.