Washington, D.C. — President Trump announced today his intention to begin pulling out of the Paris Agreement, a compact among over 190 nations to act on climate change. Under this agreement, the U.S. committed to work together with other countries to cut carbon pollution with the aim of keeping global temperatures close to safe levels that scientists have indicated will avert the most catastrophic impacts for our communities, wildlife, and wild places.

Collin O’Mara, president and chief executive officer of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“Every American should remember where they were today at 3:30pm because it's the first time since America emerged as the world's superpower during World War I that America has stepped away from the community of nations and abdicated its global leadership position. If the President wants to revise terms, fine – but the decision to pull out of a global agreement negotiated with 194 other nations is nothing short of a dereliction of duty.

“Whereas Presidents of both parties have worked to make us more prosperous at home and safer abroad, today's decision hurts the fastest growing part of our economy and makes the world less secure. It harms American workers who should be innovating and manufacturing clean energy technologies for export around the world--a trillion dollar clean energy market that we're ceding to China. It makes the world less secure by increasing the likelihood of conflict, mass migrations, and species extinctions as countries face higher temperatures, droughts, extreme weather events, and several feet of sea level rise. It sentences America’s majestic natural resources and wildlife to an uncertain future.

“Now that the President has made his decision, it is incumbent upon all of us – citizens, non-profits, companies, communities, cities, states, Congressional leaders – to take the reins of domestic leadership and act on climate. We have lots of work to do.”