On his first day in office, President Donald J. Trump made an executive order to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, making America one of four countries not committed to the pact. His decision also reversed climate change policies implemented by former President Biden.

According to an NPR article by Nate Perez and Rachel Waldholz, Trump argued that the Paris Agreement “imposes unfair burdens on the American economy.” Furthermore, Trump claimed that the agreement was a one-sided rip-off. Though the withdrawal was not a surprise, as President Trump did mention that the executive order would be enacted on his first day in office, it does not take away from the fact that the decision could cause severe changes to the planet’s climate system.

Those committed to the Paris Agreement agreed to submit their progress in staying below the 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) level of warming. Many countries agreed to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, including America. Without a commitment to the Paris Agreement, America would not stay on track to meet those goals.

Furthermore, Trump made an order to begin drilling in Alaska, which many Alaskan natives have been fighting against for years. Perez and Waldhoz explained, “[n]ew orders instruct agencies to roll back restrictions on offshore drilling and reconsider protections for Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.” 

By reversing many of the policies under the Biden administration, President Trump required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review many of its policies and standards, many of which can be harmful to both land and ocean environments.

A Columbia Law School article concluded, “[t]he order instructs agencies to ‘immediately review existing regulations that potentially burden the development or use of domestically produced energy resources.’”