WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2021) The United States on Friday officially returned to the Paris climate agreement, just 107 days after leaving the landmark accord, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
"On January 20, on his first day in office, President Biden signed the instrument to bring the United States back into the Paris Agreement. Per the terms of the Agreement, the United States officially becomes a Party again today," Blinken said in a statement.
Former President Donald Trump formally withdrew the US from the accord on November 4, 2020, arguing that the agreement would undermine the economy, cost millions of jobs and put the country at a disadvantage compared to other countries around the world.
Blinken said Washington plans to re-engage under the agreement "on all fronts" and pledged to put climate change issues at the center of US foreign policy.
"Climate change and science diplomacy can never again be 'add-ons' in our foreign policy discussions. Addressing the real threats from climate change and listening to our scientists is at the center of our domestic and foreign policy priorities," Blinken added.
Shortly after his inauguration on January 20, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order to return the United States to the Paris Agreement, reversing the Trump administration's withdrawal from the 2015 pact.
