U.S. relies on “innovation to reduce emissions”

The United States has initiated formal withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change, U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced on November 4, vowing that the country would continue to reduce emissions without compromising economic growth.

This was followed by a US Department of State statement defending the Trump Administration’s position and the The United States as a “world leader in reducing emissions”.

The US Department of State said: “Between 2005 and 2017, US net greenhouse gas emissions dropped 13 percent even as the US economy grew by more than 19 percent, US figures show.

“This success is largely due to the development and deployment of innovative energy technologies, including nuclear energy, shale gas, transformational coal technologies, renewables, battery storage and enhanced energy efficiency.”

“The United States has reduced all types of emissions, even as we grow our economy and ensure our citizens’ access to affordable energy,” US secretary of state Mike Pompeo added. “We will continue to work with our global partners to enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change and prepare for and respond to natural disasters.”

The withdrawal, formalised in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, follows through on President Trump’s June 1, 2017, pledge to “leave the deal that he said unfairly burdens American businesses, workers and taxpayers while giving a free pass to other countries”.

The move will take effect on November 4, 2020, one year after delivery of the withdrawal notification.

“Our air right now and our water right now is as clean as it’s been in decades,” Trump said last month in remarks made to the Shale Insight Conference in Pittsburgh.

The State Department said, “By promoting affordable, reliable and clean energy, as well as energy efficiency, the US is creating domestic jobs and supporting overseas market opportunities for US companies.

“We’ve unleashed our energy companies to innovate and compete, and our carbon emissions have declined dramatically,” Pompeo added.