Trump’s Climate Deal Exit Disappoints Chemical Industry

The US chemical industry has expressed its disappointment over President Trump’s decision to exit the Paris climate change agreement. Under the landmark deal finalized in December 2015, 197 countries around the world pledged to limit their greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the US will not be able to officially withdraw until November 2020 because the agreement requires a three-year process for withdrawal and no country can give official notice to quit until one year after the accord entered into force, which was Nov. 4, 2016.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) said that climate change represents a real and current threat to US economy, health, and welfare. “America should continue to take the lead in addressing global greenhouse gas emissions and become a leader in sustainable energy production and technology,” said Thomas Connelly, the society’s CEO. The association added that international cooperation is crucial to addressing climate change and continued uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions will accelerate and compound the effects and risks of climate change well into the future.

While also voicing its displeasure at Trump’s withdrawal, Dow Chemical stated its eagerness to work toward alternative solutions. “We will continue to collaborate with President Trump as well as other businesses, NGOs and academics to continue to advocate for smart policies that enable the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that global markets stay open to American exports and innovation,” Dow said in an official statement.

Its CEO Andrew Liveris was one of many industry leaders that wrote an open letter last month urging Donald Trump not to pull out of the Paris Agreement. Liveris is a close adviser to Trump who named the Dow chief as head of the US Manufacturing Council last December. Liveris is also among the business leaders involved in Trump’s Manufacturing Jobs Initiative.