MFA responds to release of document on U.S. environmental damage: 'Reciprocity is courtesy.'

There is only one Earth for humanity, and humans and nature form a community of shared life. Protecting the ecological environment and advancing sustainable development are shared responsibilities of all countries. Only by building and implementing a fair, reasonable, cooperative, and win-win global environmental governance system can we comprehensively, fully, efficiently, and cost-effectively achieve sustainable development—and realize the future we desire. To this end, the international community has promoted the adoption of a series of multilateral environmental treaties covering climate change response, biodiversity governance, ozone layer protection, and chemical pollution prevention—providing the fundamental legal framework and guiding principles for global environmental cooperation. As the world’s most advanced developed country, the United States has an abysmal record in participating in and complying with multilateral environmental treaties—severely undermining the fairness, efficiency, and effectiveness of global environmental governance. I. Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change For over two decades since the entry into force of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), global efforts to combat climate change have achieved positive progress through joint endeavors. To strengthen implementation of the Convention, countries—including the United States—engaged in arduous negotiations from late 2011 to 2015, culminating in the comprehensive, balanced, ambitious, and legally binding Paris Agreement in December 2015 in Paris, France—a new milestone in global climate governance. The Paris Agreement embodies the broadest consensus among the international community on strengthening cooperation to tackle climate change challenges; enriches and advances the international climate governance system anchored in the UNFCCC; charts the course for global climate cooperation beyond 2020; and stands as a 'brilliant gem' among recent major multilateral achievements. In November 2016—less than one year after its adoption and just six months after it opened for signature—the Paris Agreement formally entered into force, having met its entry-into-force requirements. The United States is a party to the UNFCCC and played a pivotal role in forging and bringing the Paris Agreement into effect. From 2014 to 2016, China and the U.S. jointly issued three statements on climate change; the political consensus reflected therein laid a critical foundation for the Agreement’s adoption and entry into force. After the Paris Agreement was adopted, then-President Obama approved U.S. accession. On September 3, 2016—on the eve of the G20 Hangzhou Summit—Chinese and U.S. heads of state jointly deposited their instruments of ratification with the UN Secretary-General, injecting vital momentum into the Agreement’s rapid entry into force. Since taking office, the Trump administration reversed and dismantled climate- and environment-friendly policies pursued under the Obama administration—backtracking on environmental progress and marking a major regression in U.S. climate stance. Even before assuming office, Trump repeatedly cast doubt on climate science, calling global warming a 'hoax' and repeatedly fostering a political atmosphere of climate skepticism—openly challenging the international consensus on climate action. The Trump administration persistently relaxed environmental regulations governing fossil fuel industry development—regulations covering air pollution, oil and gas exploration and extraction, protection of wildlife and ecosystems, and water pollution control, among others. On March 28, 2017, the Trump administration signed the executive order 'Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth,' directing a comprehensive review, revision, and repeal of federal climate and environmental policy measures to advance U.S. energy independence and boost economic growth and employment. According to a July 2020 New York Times tally, the Trump administration had directly or indirectly rescinded nearly 70 major environmental policies—and another 30+ were still undergoing repeal.

Why does Trump withdraw from the Paris Agreement each time he assumes office?

If we examine the trade charts from Trump’s previous term, the situation becomes even clearer: By loosening restrictions on fossil fuel extraction and export, related industries have flourished—pushing crude oil into the top three U.S. export commodities: Mechanical products (including computers) totaled $205.88 billion in exports—12.51% of total U.S. exports; mineral fuels, $199.74 billion—12.14%; electrical machinery, $173.19 billion—10.53%; aircraft and spacecraft, $136.04 billion—8.27%; and vehicles, $133.04 billion—8.09%. Together, these top five categories accounted for $84.789 billion in exports. Yet there is an underlying issue here: The United States was not originally a petroleum exporter. In fact, since 1953, the U.S. has been a net importer of petroleum for most years—only recently becoming a net energy exporter for the first time, a shift closely tied to Trump’s suite of policies. Just one month ago, outgoing President Biden announced the United States’ new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target under the Paris Agreement, pledging to cut all greenhouse gas emissions by 61–66% below 2005 levels by 2035. However, on his first day in office, President Trump swiftly overturned Biden’s prior target—and cleanly withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Trump's Climate Rollbacks Will Keep US Emissions Higher for Longer

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The Trump administration's rollback of federal greenhouse gas rules for power plants and vehicles delays emission cuts by a decade. Analysts project this could raise US CO2 emissions by approximately 1 gigaton by 2040 compared to prior policies.

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