You knew it was coming. Yet President Trump’s decision Thursday to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord was a gut-punch for many. With the world’s second-biggest emitter untethered from the global pact to keep atmospheric warming to 2 degrees Celsius, signed by 195 nations, the outlook for Earth looks significantly darker.
The reaction was fierce. Dozens of mayors and governors pledged to double down on efforts to reduce emissions as they denigrated the president’s decision. Global leaders re-avowed their climate commitments, as did business executives, scientists, and citizens. The New York Daily News busted out a withering retake of an iconic front page; some female coal miners shook their heads; and anyone who’s ever heard of Pittsburgh (the city Trump cited as a beneficiary of his decision, stating, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris”) said, oh, hell no. Protests erupted all over the country.
