Donald Trump

Here's What Happens If US Leaves Paris Climate Accord

America's current goal of lowering emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 under the deal isn't fixed forever

President Donald Trump's decision on whether to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate deal is coming this Thursday, and White House sources tell NBC News he's leaning toward an exit.

Technically, that can't happen until November 2019, though he can speed things up by abandoning the Senate-approved climate treaty that the agreement is pinned on.

Nearly 200 countries signed the deal in Paris in 2015, but it isn't binding and calls on signatories to voluntarily pledge to reduce emissions.

So America's current goal of lowering emissions 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 isn't fixed forever, though the broad aim was to increase it over time. J. Timmons Roberts, an environmental studies professor at Brown University, told NBC News that technology was making it easier for consumers to go green.

President Donald Trump spends two days at the G-7 summit in Taormina, Italy. This is his last stop on his international trip, which stared in Saudi Arabia.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
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