Simon Steel, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, asserted that the United States' decision to withdraw from the international organization's main climate treaty represents a major blow not only to global environmental efforts, but also to the American economy itself.
Steele explained in an official statement released today that this move would severely damage the American economy and negatively impact the job market and living standards of citizens. He noted that this decision comes at a time when climate-related natural disasters are escalating, with the country and many parts of the world experiencing a significant increase in devastating wildfires, widespread flooding, massive storms, and droughts that are crippling the agricultural sector.
Economic repercussions that extend beyond the environment
The UN warnings come in a global economic context that is strongly shifting towards a "green economy." Experts point out that withdrawing from climate agreements could isolate the United States from emerging markets in clean technology and renewable energy. Instead of protecting traditional industries, this withdrawal could leave American companies lagging behind in innovation and competition against their counterparts in China and Europe, which are investing heavily in this sector, potentially leading to the loss of millions of future sustainable jobs.
Natural disaster bill
From a purely financial perspective, ignoring climate change has become prohibitively expensive for the US Treasury. Economic reports indicate that natural disasters cost the US economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually, whether through infrastructure destruction, supply chain disruptions, or healthcare and rescue costs. Therefore, withdrawing from international cooperation frameworks to combat this phenomenon does not save money; rather, it increases the long-term financial risks borne by the state and taxpayers.
The international context and the importance of the American role
The United States has historically been the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, making its participation in the Paris Climate Agreement crucial to the success of international efforts. The agreement, adopted in 2015, aims to limit the rise in global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius. Washington’s absence from this international forum undermines global confidence and could encourage other countries to slacken their commitments, accelerating global warming and making the world a less stable and more geopolitically and economically dangerous place.
