WRI Responds to the Appointment of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State

The World Resources Institute (WRI) calls on Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, to demonstrate a commitment to the Paris Agreement and U.S. climate leadership upon his appointment as Secretary of State. WRI warns that withdrawing from the Paris Agreement would damage U.S. international relations and allow China to lead in green technologies and jobs.

• WRI asserts that Rex Tillerson must demonstrate a commitment to the Paris Agreement and international climate obligations during his confirmation hearings, noting that over 70 percent of Americans support U.S. participation in the Agreement.
• The WRI warns that if the United States pulls back from the Paris Agreement, it would lose international goodwill and cede leadership in green technologies and employment to China and other nations.
• WRI highlights a contradiction in ExxonMobil's history, stating the company long opposed climate action despite its recent public acknowledgment of the link between greenhouse gases and climate change and its support for the Paris Agreement.

APA

Steer, A. (2016). WRI Responds to the Appointment of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-wri-responds-appointment-rex-tillerson-secretary-state

Chicago

Steer, Andrew. WRI Responds to the Appointment of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. World Resources Institute, 2016. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-wri-responds-appointment-rex-tillerson-secretary-state.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Steer |first1=Andrew |title=WRI Responds to the Appointment of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=13 December 2016 |url=https://www.wri.org/news/statement-wri-responds-appointment-rex-tillerson-secretary-state |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{steer2016wri, author = {Steer, Andrew}, title = {{WRI Responds to the Appointment of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/news/statement-wri-responds-appointment-rex-tillerson-secretary-state}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }