Trump will definitely pull out of Paris global warming deal, says former advisor – “He could do it by executive order tomorrow”
By Tom Batchelor
30 January 2017 (The Independent) – A former climate change adviser to Donald Trump has said the US President will pull America out of the landmark Paris agreement and an executive order on the issue could come within “days”. Myron Ebell, who took charge of Mr Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) transition team, said the President was determined to undo policies pushed by Barack Obama to restrict greenhouse gas emissions. He said the US would “clearly change its course on climate policy” under the new administration and claimed Mr Trump was “pretty clear that the problem or the crisis has been overblown and overstated”. “I expect Donald Trump to be very assiduous in keeping his promises, despite all of the flack he is going to get from his opponents,” he told a briefing in London. “He could do it by executive order tomorrow, or he could wait and do it as part of a larger package. There are multiple ways and I have no idea of the timing.” [more]
Trump ‘will definitely pull out of Paris climate change deal’
Well, maybe. Executive Orders are more proclamations of intent than new legal structures. Obama, for instance, issued one to close Guantanamo soon after his inauguration. It’s still open, and now Trump inherits the place.
Not that Paris will accomplish their stated goals with or without the US, but it would be nice if the US would focus on the myriad of climate and environmental issues out there.