The Paris Accord was a deal that would have hurt the American worker and enraged voters who care about the economy. Three cheers for President Donald Trump for pulling out of that economy destroying agreement.
President Trump campaigned on the idea that the American workers are the most important consideration when analyzing agreements – whether they address trade, tax policy or global warming. The Paris agreement did not constrict the most prolific polluters like China, yet it would have cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs while lowering the economic output of the United States for decades. One reason why European nations are apoplectic about Trump’s actions is that they understand that forcing the United States to transition off fossil fuels provides a competitive advantage to these same European countries.
One study produced by NERA Consulting pegged the harm to the U.S. economy in 2025 as follows:
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - $250 Billion;
- Household Income - $160;
- Manufacturing Jobs - 440,000; and,
- Total Job Losses - 2.7 Million.
President Trump promised to revitalize the manufacturing sector and the NERA Consulting study found that iron and steel production would decrease by 19%, cement production would decrease by 21%, and refining production would decrease by 11%. These sound like economy killing results had Hillary Clinton won the presidency and implemented the draconian goals set by the Paris Accord.
This agreement seems like a solution in search of a problem because the United States has already reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 12% since 2006. Another mitigating factor that would lead one to hate this agreement is that the American taxpayers were committed by President Obama to pay out $3 billion to a United Nations based global warming fund. While Congress in embarking on tax reform, President Trump just saved the taxpayers $3 billion in taxes that would have been paid out to the inefficient and anti-American United Nations.
One idea that should be considered is to call the bluff of the climate change cultists. When President Obama signed onto the agreement, many conservatives argued that the agreement was in reality a treaty. The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) made this case eloquently. The Constitution requires all treaties to be submitted to the Senate for ratification by 2/3rds vote. Maybe President Trump should submit this agreement to the Senate to force Democrats in coal producing states, like Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, to take a tough vote and either enrage climate change alarmists by voting against the treaty or enraging Montana coal country workers by voting for the treaty.
The common accepted research shows that strict adherence to the treaty would have reduced global temperatures by .2% Celsius by 2100. Seems like the destruction of the U.S. economy is a high price to pay for a negligible impact on global temperatures.
The left are losing their collective minds about the impact of President Trump pulling out of the agreement. Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called the announcement an “international disgrace.” Liberal Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) tweeted that this action was a “surrender” of leadership on global warming policy. Finally, a man who has made millions of climate change alarmism, former Vice President Al Gore, put out a statement calling the pull out a “reckless and indefensible action.” They miss the fact that Trump campaigned on this issue and the American people voted for him. Trumps laser like focus on job creation is in stark contrast to many on the left who are more worried about what other world leaders think of America than jobs for Americans.
Thank you President Donald Trump!