President Trump Displays “Moral Failure” by Withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement

The World Resources Institute condemns the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, arguing that the move ignores scientific and economic evidence and undermines the U.S. competitive advantage in the low-carbon economy.

• The Trump administration formally requested withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on November 4, 2019, a process that takes one year, meaning the U.S. will officially exit on November 4, 2020. The U.S. retains the ability to re-enter the Agreement within 30 days of a request to the United Nations.
• Andrew Steer of the World Resources Institute argues that withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is based on outdated views and ignores the fact that climate action promotes innovation, economic efficiency, and long-term policy consistency. He asserts that the move harms future generations and causes the U.S. to lose clean energy jobs to other nations.
• Despite the federal withdrawal, a coalition of U.S. states, cities, and businesses continues to pursue climate action aligned with the Paris Agreement; this group collectively represents an economy larger than China and would be the second largest in the world.

APA

Steer, A. (2019). President Trump Displays “Moral Failure” by Withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-president-trump-displays-moral-failure-withdrawing-us-paris-agreement

Chicago

Steer, Andrew. President Trump Displays “Moral Failure” by Withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. World Resources Institute, 2019. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-president-trump-displays-moral-failure-withdrawing-us-paris-agreement.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Steer |first1=Andrew |title=President Trump Displays “Moral Failure” by Withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=4 November 2019 |url=https://www.wri.org/news/statement-president-trump-displays-moral-failure-withdrawing-us-paris-agreement |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{steer2019president, author = {Steer, Andrew}, title = {{President Trump Displays “Moral Failure” by Withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.wri.org/news/statement-president-trump-displays-moral-failure-withdrawing-us-paris-agreement}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }