Statement from RFF President Richard G. Newell

President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord for economic reasons is extremely unfortunate and not based on evidence. The climate policies necessary to fulfill US commitments under the agreement would create very small costs relative to the size of the US economy and would be more than offset by the benefits from global pollution reduction. In short, this decision will not measurably increase jobs or GDP, but it will substantially damage US global leadership and slow progress on the transition to cleaner energy sources.