US formally exits Paris pact aiming to curb climate change

The United States on Wednesday formally left the Paris Agreement, a global pact forged five years ago to avert the threat of catastrophic climate change. The move, long declared by U.S. President Donald Trump and triggered by his administration a year ago, isolates the United States in the world but has no immediate impact on international efforts to curb global warming. Some 189 countries remain committed to the 2015 Paris accord, which aims to keep the increase in average temperatures worldwide “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), ideally no more than 1.5C (2.7 F), compared to pre-industrial levels. A further six countries have signed, but not ratified the pact. The Paris accord requires countries to set their own voluntary targets for reducing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. The only binding requirement is that nations have to accurately report on their efforts. While the Trump administration has dismissed federal measures to cut emissions, states, cities and businesses in the United States have pressed ahead with their own efforts. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said he favors signing the U.S. back up to the Paris accord...MORE