The US has formally withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement, two-and-a-half years after President Donald Trump announced plans to pull out of the world’s most ambitious environmental pact.
The exit of the second-biggest global carbon dioxide emitter from the 189-nation accord is a milestone in a presidency that has pushed through a weakening of environmental regulations and voiced support for the fossil fuel sector. Mr Trump has described the pact as a deal that “disadvantages the US to the exclusive benefit of other countries”.
The US, under then President Barack Obama, played a central role in developing the 2015 accord, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2C.