President Donald Trump’s announcement that the US will withdraw from the Paris climate accord has sparked predictions of renewed uncertainty over global efforts to combat the climate crisis, but some experts remain confident that momentum for renewable energy will persist.

Trump issued multiple executive orders on his first day in office on Monday, including an order declaring the US intention to withdraw from the 2015 Paris Agreement, which seeks collective actions by all countries to limit global warming and lower the risk of catastrophic climate change.

The order said the US has purported in recent years to join international agreements that do not reflect US values or its contributions to the pursuit of economic or environmental objectives. “Moreover these agreements steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people,” the order said.

Trump has also revoked a 2021 executive order signed by his predecessor Joe Biden that sought to ensure half of all new vehicles sold in the US by 2030 were electric. Biden’s 50% target, which was not legally binding, had won the support of US and foreign automakers, a Reuters report said.

A withdrawal from the Paris pact will mean the US will join Iran, Libya and Yemen, the only countries that haven’t joined the accord.

Ottmar Edenhofer, climate economist and director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, said the US withdrawal would disrupt the global negotiations on climate change and weaken the US influence in climate talks.

The withdrawal could also “reduce the pressure on other major emitters, such as China, to adopt more ambitious climate targets”, Edenhofer said. India is the third largest-emitter of Earth-warming greenhouse gases after China and the US.

The Paris accord requires collective global climate action by all countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit average global temperature rise to less than 2° C from the pre-industrial era.

Ani Dasgupta, president and chief executive officer of the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global think-tank based in Washington, said he’s confident that virtually all nations will stay committed to the Paris Agreement despite the US departure.

Dasgupta has also predicted that climate actions within the US will continue.

“While the US administration retreats, states, cities, and businesses across the US will continue driving climate action forward,” Dasgupta said in a statement released on Monday. “Make no mistake, America will still be very much in the global fight against climate change.”

The withdrawal won’t protect Americans from climate impacts, he said, referring to deadly wildfires, floods, and hurricanes in the US in recent years that sections of scientists have blamed on climate change.

WRI’s US acting director Debbie Weyl said pledging to roll back climate policies that have created more than 400,000 American jobs will only hurt workers and our economy. But, Weyl said, “A band of governors, mayors and other leaders are committed to stand their ground and enact low-carbon policies that cut costs, create jobs, and build cleaner communities.”

But Johan Rockstrom, an earth systems scientist and director at the Potsdam Institute said Trump’s return to the White House will likely mean “renewed uncertainty and significant challenges in addressing the global climate crisis. His previous term saw a dangerous pause in efforts to mitigate climate change, another delay is time we cannot afford to lose”.

Exit from WHO

In another executive order, Trump also ordered the withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO), saying the WHO has failed to adopt urgently needed reforms and has not demonstrated independence from inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.

“The WHO continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States, far out of proportion with other countries’ assessed payments. China with a population of 1.4 billion, has 300 per cent of the population of the United States, yet contributes nearly 90 per cent less to the WHO,” the order said.