[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: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday June 02 2017, @02:10PM (3 children)
I'm with you on this. I'm generally of the mind that the status quo in American government is fatally flawed. This decision reflects how completely the keepers of the status quo have captured the American federal government. They will not and cannot adapt to our new global realities. The momentum in America toward renewable energy and sustainability, though, has built too much and gone too far to be turned back now. It's ineluctable. That's cause for optimism.
The only effect I see this policy resistance at the federal level having is to guarantee there will be no soft landing for the status quo. It will be abrupt, a state change. All the wealth and income will shift to new players, some of whom we already know but most we don't yet, and old calcified industries will go bankrupt and their employees in Congress will be swept away.
Will America itself persist as the world's sole superpower through and after that transition? In the short run it still has the world's most powerful military by far, and it still holds the reins for many of the world's financial and other systems. If the country dithered for a long time all of that would slip away, but if it can right its political ship in 10 years everybody might forgive it its nervous breakdown and decide they still prefer America to China or Germany.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @02:15PM (2 children)
Not a single care for all the regular people caught up in your nihilist fantasy. God you are a total shit bag.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 02 2017, @02:31PM (1 child)
Whatever little snowflake. Obviously people would get new jobs in the new industries, but let's worry about your feelings first!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 03 2017, @07:01PM
> Obviously people would get new jobs in the new industries, but let's worry about your feelings first!
What do my feelings have to do with 40 year olds trying and failing to switch careers while they have car payments, mortgages and their kid's tuition to pay?
Living your mom's basement without any responsibilities you are utterly clueless what it is like for regular people when industries are completely uprooted.
And despite your aggressive ignorance, you are still a better person than P666 - because he does know that people will suffer and he does not give one thin damn about them. All he cares about is turning billionaires into hundred-millionaires and vice versa. His meet the new boss, same as the old boss goals for america are deliberately cruel to the people who are caught in the cross-fire.