Trump’s Paris climate accord withdrawal worst decision of his life

A year and a half ago, upon its approval by nearly 200 nations, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board called the Paris climate accord an achievement lacking in accountability because it would not punish countries that failed to live up to its high goal of preventing the planet from warming by more than 2 degrees Celsius — 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit — compared to pre-industrial average temperatures.

Will the countries “keep their commitments?” we wondered, never thinking the United States was the nation to worry about.

Now we know the answer.

President Donald Trump is withdrawing the U.S. from the landmark climate deal, lumping our country in with only Syria, which has been riven by civil war, and Nicaragua, which barely produces any greenhouse gases, as the only nations on the planet that could be in the pact but choose not to be. The U.S., of course, has little in common with Syria or Nicaragua. Our country is the world’s largest economy and its second-largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, behind China.

That means the countries that accepted the Paris agreement pushed by President Barack Obama include Libya, Iran and even North Korea, all now better examples for our children on how to handle the catastrophic consequences of climate change than the United States. Think about that.

Let’s not mince words here: Withdrawal from this landmark accord will mark the single worst executive decision of Trump’s lifetime, not just his presidency.

Trump’s administration is bemoaning the fact that India and China aren’t going as far or as fast as the US to curb emissions, all while questioning the science of climate change and foolishly promising to focus on coal jobs instead of renewable energy jobs that could actually position America first for decades of wealth, prosperity and global security. In so doing, the president is ignoring sage advice from business leaders like Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk, who lobbied with others for the U.S. to remain in the accord.

America first? The natural gas, wind and solar industries in the U.S. already employ more than five times as many American workers as the coal industry, which has been in serious decline for decades. It’s bad enough that Trump’s decision may lead other countries to drop out of the accord, but it’s worse that it will jeopardize America’s standing in the world as well as its position in the global economy. Now it appears China, which has committed to lessening its reliance on coal, will be revered globally as a climate-action leader.

Yet in business and in politics, Americans are still leading by example. Musk will quit Trump’s advisory councils to make a point. Gov. Jerry Brown is calling on U.S. states to step up in place of the U.S. itself and will visit China this week to make his point and build more support for California’s carbon-cutting efforts. The state Senate on Wednesday voted to set a goal of getting 100 percent of the state’s power from renewable energy sources by 2045. “Is Jerry Brown taking Trump’s place on world climate stage?” The Sacramento Bee asked Thursday.

Many must. Into the gaping leadership void left by Trump’s action, politicians and business leaders should step quickly to show the world that the U.S. understands the science and economic benefit behind the Paris climate accord. “Words count,” Premier Li Keqiang of China said. He’s right.

More drastic measures are surely needed — this editorial board has called on business leaders to explore geonegineering. Even ExxonMobil shareholders are taking decisive action. They voted in overwhelming numbers this week to have the company publish reports that document how climate change is likely to affect its business. One giant shareholder called it “an unprecedented victory for investors in the fight to ensure a smooth transition to a low carbon economy.”

Trump’s abandonment of this accord is a permanent stain on his presidency. But that doesn’t change the science or the nation’s ability to find ways to lead on climate change.

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