Washington.- President Donald Trump revoked a 2021 executive order signed by his predecessor Joe Biden that sought to ensure that half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 were electric.
The 50% target, which was not legally binding, gained support from American and foreign automakers.
Trump also plans to order agencies to reconsider rules imposing stricter emissions standards that would force automakers to sell 30% to 56% electric vehicles by 2032 to comply.
Withdraw the US (again) from the Paris Agreement
Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, thus fulfilling one of the promises the Republican leader made during the election campaign.
Trump signed the withdrawal from the climate treaty, along with other executive orders, a few hours after assuming the US presidency and at the Capital One stadium in Washington where thousands of supporters gathered to applaud and cheer the president’s actions.
The executive order, titled “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements,” alleges that these treaties send American taxpayer money to “countries that do not need, or deserve, financial assistance in the interests of the American people.”
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According to the order, the US ambassador to the UN “will immediately send a formal written notification” declaring the withdrawal of “any agreement, pact or similar commitment” under the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
It is the second time that Trump withdraws the US from the Paris Agreement.
In June 2017, at the beginning of his first presidency, Trump (2017-2021) announced that as of November 2020, the US would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, the international treaty adopted in 2015 within the framework of the UNFCCC.
The goal of the agreement is to limit global temperature rise to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and preferably to 1.5°C, to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The Trump administration justified the withdrawal for economic reasons, arguing that it unfairly limited the development of the United States, as well as national sovereignty, considering that the agreement infringed on the country’s independence.
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Trump also argued that the Paris Agreement favors countries like China and India, while questioning its effectiveness in addressing the climate crisis.
But as soon as Joe Biden assumed the presidency of the United States in January 2021, the Democratic leader signed an executive order to effectively return the country to the agreement starting in February 2021.
Biden also used the economic argument to justify his decision by pointing out that investments in clean energy are necessary to ensure the global competitiveness of the United States and that they generate high-paying jobs.
In a statement, UN Secretary General António Guterres said this Monday that the United States must continue to be a “leader on environmental issues” and encouraged “US cities, states and companies” to continue “demonstrating vision and leadership.” ”, working towards a low carbon economy.
Former White House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy criticized Trump’s decision.
With information from Reuters and EFE
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