--- description: "This Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future," Obama said in a statement title: Barack Obama Responds to Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd186c69a1aebd112/6988cfd497cdff51f46b0fa0/gettyimages-691259814.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Barack Obama Responds to President Trump's Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2017 8:12 PM CUT  U.S. President Donald Trump announces his decision for the United States to pull out of the Paris climate agreement in the Rose Garden at the White House June 1, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump pledged on the campaign trail to withdraw from the accord, which former President Barack Obama and the leaders of 194 other countries signed in 2015\. The agreement is intended to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit global warming to a manageable level. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump announces his decision for the United States to pull out of the Paris climate agreement in the Rose Garden at the White House June 1, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump pledged on the campaign trail to withdraw from the accord, which former President Barack Obama and the leaders of 194 other countries signed in 2015\. The agreement is intended to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit global warming to a manageable level. Chip Somodevilla—Getty ImagesChip Somodevilla—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2017 8:12 PM CUT Former President Obama responded to President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will [withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, ](http://time.com/4801134/paris-agreement-withdrawal-donald-trump-rose-garden/ "undefined")a signature achievement of Obama’s two terms in office. In a statement issued Thursday, Obama said he is confident states and cities will continue pursuing a low-carbon future “even in the absence of American leadership.” “The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created. I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack,” Obama said in a statement. “But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.” Nearly 200 countries signed onto the [Paris Climate Accord](http://time.com/4799404/paris-agreement-trump-withdrawal-climate/ "undefined") in 2015, agreeing to adopt environmentally friendly practices in order to keep global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius. President Trump has said pulling out of the deal will kickstart “America first” environmental policies. In his statement, Obama suggested he believes the [private sector ](http://time.com/4799194/donald-trump-paris-climate-agreement/ "undefined")will now take the lead. “The private sector already chose a low-carbon future,” Obama said. “And for the nations that committed themselves to that future, the Paris Agreement opened the floodgates for businesses, scientists, and engineers to unleash high-tech, low-carbon investment and innovation on an unprecedented scale.” Read the full statement below: --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4802148/paris-agreement-barack-obama-donald-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4802148/paris-agreement-barack-obama-donald-trump/"},"headline":"Barack Obama Responds to President Trump's Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal","datePublished":"2017-06-01T20:12:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T05:13:35.408Z","description":"\"I'm confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up\"","url":"https://time.com/4802148/paris-agreement-barack-obama-donald-trump/","keywords":["climate change","climate"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd186c69a1aebd112/6988cfd497cdff51f46b0fa0/gettyimages-691259814.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd186c69a1aebd112/6988cfd497cdff51f46b0fa0/gettyimages-691259814.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Donald Trump Makes Statement On Paris Climate Agreement","caption":"President Donald Trump Makes Statement On Paris Climate Agreement","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4802148/paris-agreement-barack-obama-donald-trump/","name":"Barack Obama Responds to President Trump's Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal"}}]}] ```