Trump withdraws US from landmark climate agreement despite 11,000 scientists declaring emergency

Donald Trump has told the United Nations that America is officially pulling out of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the timing couldn't be worse as 11,000 scientists worldwide declare a climate change emergency and warn of "untold suffering."

Trump, who has long denied the existence of man-made climate change, had promised to withdraw the US from the 2015 deal, but the formal process is now officially under way after Mike Pompeo filed documents on Monday.

Pomepo's defence is that the deal, which was signed by 200 countries placed an "unfair economic burden" on the US economy.

Taking to Twitter, the secretary of state said:

Today we begin the formal process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. The US is proud of our record as a world leader in reducing all emissions, fostering resilience, growing our economy, and ensuring energy for our citizens. Ours is a realistic and pragmatic model.

This comes as eleven thousand scientists in 153 countries have declared a climate emergency, signing a letter that warns “untold human suffering” is unavoidable without huge shifts in the way we live.

The letter is based on climate science that was first established in 1979 at the first World Climate Conference held in Geneva. For decades multiple global bodies have agreed urgent action is needed but greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

“Despite 40 years of major global negotiations, we have continued to conduct business as usual and have failed to address this crisis,” said William Ripple, professor of ecology at Oregon State University, who spearheaded the letter.

The irony in the timing of this is not lost on people online

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