President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, a global pact to combat climate change, for the second time. The decision comes as Trump begins his second term in office, echoing his controversial 2017 withdrawal from the same accord. During a White House announcement on Monday, Trump justified the move by claiming it was necessary to prioritize the United States’ economic interests. “The Paris Agreement imposes unfair costs on American workers while other nations continue to pollute without consequence,” Trump stated. The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C, with efforts to keep it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. It is a voluntary pact allowing countries to set their own targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement’s goals have become urgent as global temperatures rise, with scientists warning that exceeding the 1.5°C threshold could have devastating impacts on ecosystems and human life. Critics of Trump’s decision argue that the withdrawal undermines global efforts to combat climate change. Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO of the World Resources Institute, noted, “It simply makes no sense for…
