The US has officially notified its exit from the Paris climate deal, a decision made by Donald Trump two years ago. The withdrawal will be effective in a year, the day after the next US presidential election.

The United States formally notified the United Nations Monday of their exit from the Paris climate agreement, decided in 2017 by Donald Trump, announced the head of the American diplomacy Mike Pompeo. This key step, which could not be done earlier because of a clause in the text, triggers a one-year countdown before Washington can actually leave the deal.

"The withdrawal will be effective one year after the notification" sent Monday to the UN, confirmed Mike Pompeo in a statement. That is to say on November 4, 2020, the day after the next presidential election in the United States, at which Donald Trump will seek a second term. The American withdrawal does not change anything immediately, but it is meaningful, even if little doubted that the House-Banche confirm this step. The United States is the only country to opt out of this text signed by 197 countries, up to North Korea.

"An unfair economic burden on American workers"

The official reason for the withdrawal is that Washington considers the agreement unfair to the United States, although the philosophy of the text is that countries set their goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions freely. The goal then announced by Barack Obama was also less ambitious than what other countries or the European Union, for example. In his statement, Mike Pompeo again referred to "the unjust economic burden placed on US workers, businesses and taxpayers". Politically, Donald Trump will be able to argue to his constituents that he has kept his promise.

NGOs and experts, for their part, have denounced the selfishness of the world's second biggest emitter, while China remains committed to the process. "The abandonment of the Paris agreement is an abdication of leadership to which a majority of Americans are opposed," said Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York, who is funding a major campaign to shut down coal-fired power plants. candidates in US elections opposed to climate action.

Democrats pledge to return to agreement in case of victory in the presidential election

Donald Trump's decision did not create the domino effect that some feared in countries like Australia and Brazil. It even galvanized multiple non-federal American actors: states ruled by democrats, big cities, and corporations. Many of these entities have voluntarily committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, or to 100% renewable energy in electricity generation. This will partly offset federal inaction. In total, the Paris agreement has not collapsed, reinforced by the mobilization of young people for the climate observed since last year.

The result of the 2020 election could be more decisive. "If we go back to a Trump administration for four years, the consequences will be very, very different," says David Levaï, of the Iddri think tank. "The strength of this governance remains, as long as the American withdrawal is only a parenthesis". All potential Democratic opponents of Donald Trump have pledged to return to the agreement, which they can do when they take office on January 20, 2021.