[Ed Note: What follows is the official press release from President Donald Trump at the White House. It marks the official stance of the United States pulling out of the Paris Agreement. Though there is certainly a political aspect to this, I would like to see if we can try to avoid political bickering and focus discussion on the actual details of the press release. See, also, our previous coverage, Report: Trump Plans to Exit Paris Climate Agreement. --martyb]
From the desk of President Donald J. Trump
For Immediate Release
June 01, 2017
President Trump Puts American Jobs First
“Our government rushed to join international agreements where the United States pays the costs and bears the burdens while other countries get the benefit and pay nothing.” – President Donald J. Trump
ALREADY THE WORLD’S ENERGY LEADER: The United States had already become the leader in cutting CO2 emissions while still leading in oil & gas production.
HARMFUL TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: The Paris Climate Accord could cost the United States economy millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in economic output over the next several decades.
SHOULDERING THE BURDEN: Under the Paris Climate Accord, the United States would carry the burden while other countries would get the benefits.
INEFFECTIVE: Even if every nation fully complied with the Paris Climate Accord, it would barely impact the climate.
PROMISE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: President Trump is fulfilling his promise to the American people to stop international agreements that disadvantage the United States.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by richtopia on Friday June 02 2017, @04:32AM (21 children)
Trump's policies are giving China an opportunity to step forward and lead the world into the new century. If isolationism is the correct choice in the next twenty years is to be seen: isolationism should help with keeping USA jobs stateside, but if the rest of the wold leaves the USA behind the repercussions could be disastrous, even if everyone is employed. I predict that after the Paris accords, we will see the China Investment Bank become a major player and start displacing the World Bank.
http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/analysis/china-paris-climate-accord/ [instituteforenergyresearch.org]
Disclaimer: I have been drinking and completely ignored the "ignore political bickering" that martyb so politely supplied in the original post.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by richtopia on Friday June 02 2017, @04:48AM (3 children)
To follow up on drinking: I did zero research on my post contrary to my normal expectations. I was thinking of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, but that is completely irrelevant to today's discussion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Infrastructure_Investment_Bank [wikipedia.org]
At the end of the day the Paris Agreement is lose lose for the USA:
1. Stay in the agreement and suffer the economic growth consequences - I would say this is paying the Devil's due for the last century of oil exploitation, but it is painful to move away from fossil fuels
2. Leave the agreement and reap the rewards. While the Accords are relatively sparse in ramifications for leavers, I suspect the international community will use this as a spring board to distance themselves from the USA, particularly with the negative feelings towards the current president
(Score: 2, Insightful) by tftp on Friday June 02 2017, @05:27AM (1 child)
I can't imagine anyone of significance on this Earth who would be terribly concerned that some countries are and other are not a part of this Paris Agreement.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @01:46PM
Wait, your failure of imagination is now a meaningful indicator of international politics?
That may be the most narcisstic post I've seen here and we've got idiots like runaway, frojack and the mighty butthurt who are archons of dunning-krueger
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday June 02 2017, @03:14PM
Sounds interesting and not necessarily bad.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Whoever on Friday June 02 2017, @05:06AM (13 children)
Isolationism has never benefited any country in the long term.
Pulling out was a stupid move. The "accord" was voluntary, not US law and mostly symbolic. So remaining in has zero consequences. Pulling out shows that the current administration isn't interested in the future, isn't interested in working with other countries.
If the USA continues on this course, it's likely that China will take the lead and the USA will become a backwater. Once all the other countries have transitioned to renewable energy, power will be even more expensive in the USA and hence businesses will be even less competitive.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @05:20AM
Bingo! It isn't so much about the CO2, its about the loss of American prestige. Trump only understand guns, he has no concept of soft power. But soft power is what kept the US top dog since WWII. He's pissing it all away just to make a bunch of glorified peckerwoods feel good about themselves.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday June 02 2017, @11:06AM (1 child)
I think that's a pretty big stretch. China couldn't care less about the rest of the world, except as tributary states. It's in their very name, zhongguo ("Middle Country" aka "Country at the Center of the Earth"). Africans, who have been seeing a lot of investment from China, are quickly learning that the Chinese give even less of a shit about the Africans they're extracting the resources from than the POS Americans and Europeans did.
I surmise we're moving back to a multi-polar world with spheres of influence. Germany's in a really good spot right now, if they can successfully herd the cats. China has had a good couple of decades because Japan and South Korea haven't contended with it directly as they have in the past, but both those places could wake up to the new reality and do so again.
There's also a non-zero chance that D) could happen and shifting energy and manufacturing economies could reorder the geopolitical realities entirely. We are on the cusp of a global revolution in those respects.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @01:50PM
You have a definition of "care" that aligns very closely with Don the Con's definition.
The more you post, the more I realize you are just a trumpanzee in liberal clothing.
(Score: 0, Troll) by khallow on Friday June 02 2017, @03:17PM (4 children)
Not seeing the problem. The Paris Accord wasn't a good future. It prioritized first world hysteria over six billion peoples' lives.
(Score: 2) by Whoever on Friday June 02 2017, @11:22PM (3 children)
Yeah, I mean, much of the world becoming uninhabitable, including prime real estate along the US coastlines is nothing to worry about, is it?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday June 03 2017, @03:20AM (2 children)
It has to happen first. Getting bombarded into the Stone Age by Nazi-launched Moon cheese would also be a bad thing, but I don't see us radically altering our societies for it. At some point, you also have to evaluate the likelihood of the proposed bad thing happens rather than merely how bad it is. I'll note that nobody has presented evidence that would support your concern. That's what makes it hysteria.
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by Whoever on Saturday June 03 2017, @03:33AM (1 child)
Despite all the information that is available that supports the notion of climate change and its likely effects and you still want a personal link in support? You are a special kind of flower aren't you?
There is no point posting anything because you will still discount it. You, like many Trumpanzees, are resistant to facts.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by khallow on Saturday June 03 2017, @04:20AM
I've perused this information before. It doesn't say what you claim it says. This is the core of hysteria - imaginary dangers.
You should discount it as well.
I think rather you are the Trumpanzee. There really isn't much difference intellectually or politically between the world ending because sea level goes up 10 inches, and illegals takin' our jerbs away because someone can't be bothered to look for work. Too bad you didn't vote for Trump. You could have gotten him to pay lip service to your delusions instead.
(Score: 1, Troll) by VLM on Friday June 02 2017, @04:45PM
So its useless and pointless so we gotta keep drinking the kool aid.
The Paris Accords are the environmental equivalent of a Paris Hilton reality show in so many ways
(Score: 2) by leftover on Friday June 02 2017, @08:02PM (3 children)
For the US there is the bit about providing $100B per year. That is not mere symbolism.
The Paris 'agreement' was made by a majority of countries with their hands out and Soros behind the curtain.
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
(Score: 2) by Whoever on Friday June 02 2017, @11:20PM (2 children)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/06/02/fact-checking-trump-speech-paris-climate-agreement/102399674/ [usatoday.com]
http://www.factcheck.org/2017/05/trump-paris-agreement/ [factcheck.org]
Perhaps you have been lied to through your news sources.
(Score: 2) by leftover on Saturday June 03 2017, @07:36AM (1 child)
$100B is the amount specified in the 'Paris Agreement', to which the US has not agreed.
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 03 2017, @12:33PM
Do you think your word play is actually informative?
Its $100B split between all developed countries, not just the US.
Nor it was not an enforceable requirement.
And its payment for them not to build dirty power plants that dump pollution in our air.
We built dirty power plants that polluted their air as we modernized, its their right to do the same to us as they modernize.
Which would you rather have, their pollution or a little more money in the bank accounts of the rich?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @07:14AM (2 children)
China would experience what the US has taken since WW2 to learn: being at the top and controlling the world is expensive and earns the hate.
Let's see China get deeply involved in Asia and Africa. Xinjiang will become the way in for the terrorists.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @08:50AM (1 child)
Except China doesn't give a rats ass about "internal politics" of other nations. China only cares about China.
They already are. It's US that's on the way out, and rather quickly these days. Killing TPP and now withdrawing from Paris Accords is one giant gift to China in both cases. But yes, requires 2 brain cells to connect those dots.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 03 2017, @03:29AM
> Except China doesn't give a rats ass about "internal politics" of other nations. China only cares about China.
Huh? Where have you been lately. Chinese state-sponsored crackers/hackers seem to be active in the politics of nations all around the world.