EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Calls for Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement

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I am sorry but this was a fantastic agreement for USA & a totally average commitment (even Sanders criticized this as inadequate). USA has 4-5% of Global Population but 16% + of the total emission of the world (& at a far higher level than almost every major country bar Canada). China's emission per capita is not even half of the USA when they have 1/6th odd of the world's population. India's per capita emission is little more than 1/9th of USA. Germany & Japan have a little more than half of USA's per capita emission. Other than that C02 also accumulates in the air which means all the previous emissions from the Western World has historically accumulated in the atmosphere & will cause problems.

If you look at pledges, EU has much more ambitious pledges - They plan to cut emissions by close to 40% from 1990 odd levels while USA pledges to cut emissions by only 26-28% from 2005 levels which would turn out to be even lower compared to 1990's levels - Effectively less than half of EU when EU is already emitting MUCH MUCH less per capita (around 1/2 of USA). Anything less than that, would mean every country will walk out of the deal.

Shocked at the level of ignorance of people. China for one is investing massively into solar & is totally transforming their economy & is targeting atleast 30% renewables by 2030, India 40%, Germany targets 45%, France 32%. EU as a whole atleast 27% & has committed to revise it upwards. USA has a target of a paltry 20% of renewables by 2030.

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Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) plans to introduce legislation later this month outlining how the United States can completely wean itself off fossil fuels by 2050. The legislation calls for half of all electricity in the U.S. to be generated by renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, by 2030. The bill also proposes ways to transition fossil fuel workers, such as coal miners, into new careers.

Three states ― California, Massachusetts and New York ― already have plans in place to practically end the use of fossil fuels within the next few decades. Two years ago, Hawaii passed a law to completely convert its electricity sector to renewable energy by 2045. Roughly 25 cities across the country have made similar commitments, as well as almost 90 big companies, including Bank of America, Google and Walmart.

Source - Huffington Post

Merkley is introducing 100 by 50 Act which will target 50% of the energy by renewables by 2030 &
fully by 2050, somewhat similar to what CA, NY & many other states have proposed