It took mere hours for President Donald Trump to order a withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. When it actually takes effect is less clear.
Trump’s executive order — “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements” — calls for immediate notification to the United Nations of the U.S. withdrawal from Paris and states that the exit “and any attendant obligations” will be “effective immediately.”
But the global climate pact stipulates that parties have to wait at least one year before they can leave the agreement, with the clock beginning to tick when the U.N. receives a letter notifying it of the country’s planned departure.
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It’s not clear if Trump will follow those rules.
