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

A statement from the World Resources Institute regarding the Trump administration's formal request to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.

• The Trump administration submitted a formal request to the United Nations to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. The withdrawal process takes one year, meaning the U.S. will officially exit on November 4, 2020, though it could re-enter within 30 days of a request to the United Nations.
• Andrew Steer, President & CEO of the World Resources Institute, argues that withdrawing from the Paris Agreement ignores science and economics, relying on outdated views that climate action is costly. He asserts that smart climate action actually promotes economic efficiency, innovation, and policy consistency, leading to a stronger economy.
• Despite the federal withdrawal, thousands of U.S. cities, states, and businesses continue to pursue climate action aligned with the Paris Agreement. This collective group would constitute the world's second largest economy, exceeding that of China.

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} }