It’s no secret that President-elect Donald Trump isn’t a fan of regulations in the energy industry and that he’s been skeptical of climate change.
Since his election, many have been eyeing the impact of his election on the 2015 Paris agreement. Now, sources have told Reuters that Trump is looking for quick ways to withdraw from the accord, which was agreed on by 200 nations and aims to curb climate change.
Reuters reports that the source is someone on Trump’s transition team who said it was “reckless” for the agreement to go into effect before the election.
The Paris Agreement went into force on Nov. 4 and according to Article 28, any country wanting to back out from the agreement has to wait for years from that date.
The Trump team is looking at ways to get around that stipulation, however. For example, Trump could withdrawal from a 1992 convention that is the parent treaty of the Paris agreement, or issue a presidential order to delete the US signature from the accord.
Since the agreement was made in December, 109 countries representing 76 percent of greenhouse gas emissions have officially ratified it — including the U.S., which accounts for 18 percent of emissions. The accord provides a framework for countries to reduce emissions while strengthening the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.
Obama signed on to the agreement by executive order to bypass approval by the U.S. Senate, where members of the Republican party had signaled their opposition to it.
Secretary of State John Kerry has vowed to implement the Paris agreement until Trump takes office on Nov. 20.
Several countries have reaffirmed their support for the agreement and expressed hope that the U.S. will remain a part of the accord. But the host of this year’s negotiations, Morocco, indicated that the pact is strong enough to survive without the U.S.
