The Paris Agreement: United States Steps Out, China Steps Up

In the aftermath of President Trump's statement of intent to pull out of the Paris Agreement, China has sought to take up the global leadership role in tackling climate change. President Trump stated in June 2017 that the Paris Agreement would hurt U.S. businesses and make it more difficult to compete with international rivals such as China and India. The United States joins just two other countries, Syria and Nicaragua, in the list of those that have opted out of the accord. President Putin has also been expressing doubts about the causes of climate change, according to a transcript of a meeting between Emmanuel Macron and him, held during the G20 summit. Other world leaders, at the summit held in Hamburg on July 7-8, 2017, stated that the Paris Agreement was "irreversible" and reaffirmed their "strong commitment" to implement the accord, with the 19 signatories to the G20 Leaders' Declaration agreeing to a new Climate and Energy Action Plan for Growth.