Trump's Paris pact withdrawal puts US last

While US President Donald Trump has pulled the United States out of the Paris climate change agreement, the rest of the world is moving beyond fossil fuels toward sustainable, renewable energy. China has put a mandatory limit on coal consumption and has built the highest number of solar and wind power facilities of any country in the world. India's cumulative solar power capacity has increased 750 times from 2010. And Chile and other countries are harnessing solar power at half the price of coal power.

Trump has vowed to put "America First", but his reckless move actually will put America last. His actions have damaged the US' relationships with its most important allies which no longer believe they can rely on the US as a partner on climate change and other important international issues.

Trump's shortsighted decision ignores the economic opportunities provided by the transition to clean energy. Meeting the goals of the Paris climate pact will fuel a $19 trillion surge in additional economic growth over the next 30 years. Global investment in renewable power capacity in 2016 was roughly double that in new fossil fuel generation.