Why did Trump announce his intent to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement?

Abstract

Using qualitative methods, this research which examines the driving forces behind U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.  Empirically the thesis seeks to observe and explain Donald Trump’s behaviour, whilst also testing falsifiable hypotheses derived from observations of empirical facts. Trump’s self-assured, although widely criticized decision by the International community, to withdraw from the Paris can be explained in the context of International Relations from the perspective of hegemony, Hegemonic Stability Theory and sovereignty which considers the evolution of US foreign policy since the cold war and the impact of President Trump’s ‘America First’ campaign on the international community.

On 1 June, 2017, the U.S. President Donald Trump announced, that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and with immediate effect stop applying the agreement, including the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and financial contributions. The president’s decision to withdraw was criticized in the US and overseas, with disappointment and protest voiced by world leaders, international organizations, civil society, and media.

The U.S. State Department, on 4 August, 2017, sent to the United Nations a formal communication confirming that the U.S. would be leaving the agreement, and raised the question about the withdrawal decision: Why did President Trump decide to withdraw, knowing that his withdrawal decision would be subject to extensive criticism domestically and internationally?

The Paris Climate Agreement was a common response by the global community to work together, recognizing that climate change was man-made. This decision was based on scientific advice, with 97 percent of climate researchers agreeing that human activity was the cause for the current period of global warming.