Trump to withdraw US from Paris pact on global warming

US President Donald Trump is expected to pull his country out of a global pact to fight climate change known as the Paris Climate Agreement, a move that would have profound effects on the planet and deepen a rift with American allies.

According to Axios news outlet, which first reported the withdrawal, Trump’s decision was influenced by a letter from 22 Republican senators, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who have called for an exit from the landmark climate deal.

Axios said details of the pullout are being worked out by a team that includes Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt.

Trump did not confirm the decision in a post on Twitter, saying only, "I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days."

The precise mechanism for withdrawal hasn't yet been determined, but Trump has made clear he plans to fulfill his campaign promise to withdraw.

Trump had refused to endorse the landmark climate change accord at a G7 summit in Sicily last week, saying he needed more time to decide.

The White House was initially slated to make a final decision on the climate accord earlier this month, but delayed the decision until the G7 meeting where other developed nations also urged Trump to remain a part of the 2015 agreement.

Trump has previously said climate change was a “hoax" to weaken US industry.

The decision would be a significant foreign policy break with nearly every other nation on earth and a major reversal of the Obama administration's efforts on climate change.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has made an impassioned appeal for the world to intensify action to combat climate change and implement the Paris Agreement to limit carbon emissions.

Read more: 

• UN urges world to combat climate change
• Trump will put US first on climate: Tillerson
• Trump rolls back Obama climate policies

The Paris Climate Agreement was negotiated by representatives of 195 countries in Paris and went into effect on November 4, 2016.

The decision to withdraw will put the United States in league with Nicaragua and Syria as the world's only non-participants in the treaty.

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