
This afternoon President Donald Trump stood in the White House Rose Garden and announced that the country is withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. You could practically hear the bushes withering in despair.
According to United Nations climate change experts, if humans do nothing to halt the rise in global temperatures, by 2100 we'll face mass extinctions, flooding, drought, and starvation. Theoretical physicist and all-around genius Stephen Hawking gave our species 100 years to escape the planet or perish, and that was before Trump pulled out of the global commitment to prevent Earth from warming by more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the tipping point at which these catastrophic events will ensue.
Trump made his speech while standing in the 83-degree sunshine surrounded by trees and flowers and clean air and all the things this announcement promises to destroy.
The Paris treaty has been ratified by 146 other countries besides the U.S., so it's not as though the planet will spontaneously combust without our participation. But all is kind of lost: The success of the agreement hinges on developed countries like the United States—whose coal burning and car driving have gotten the world into this mess—helping to finance developing nations' move toward cleaner energy. Plus (and I'm a journalist, not a scientist, but I'd venture to guess) if you're not working to reduce global warming, there's a damn good chance you're increasing it.
RELATED STORIES
It's not surprising that Trump pulled out. He's long claimed climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese and campaigned on the promise of doing just what he did today. In his speech he said that, "the Paris Climate Agreement is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the U.S. to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workers—who I love—and taxpayers to absorb the cost."
But the move was still shocking. And not just because this man has grandchildren who will likely live through the disaster scenarios described above. (Or that he'll probably have to replace his golf habit with, say, billiards.) But because he did it standing in the 83-degree sunshine on the first day of June (a slightly higher-than-average temperature, by the way) surrounded by trees and flowers and clean air and all the things this announcement promises to destroy.
So next time you want to put on a press conference about how you're ruining the only planet the American people have, Donald, think about the irony and make that speech from the safety of one of your gilded ballrooms instead.
Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest news, long reads, video, and more.
Danielle McNally is a National Magazine Award–winning journalist. She is the executive editor of Marie Claire, overseeing features across every topic of importance to the MC reader: beauty, fashion, politics, culture, career, women's health, and more. She has previously written for Cosmopolitan, DETAILS, SHAPE, and Food Network Magazine.
-
The Perfumer Behind Last Year's Most Talked-About Fragrance Just Released Another Perfect Scent
Aqua Media Cologne forte embodies a feeling of balance and harmony.
By Deena Campbell
-
'Yellowface' Is Our June Book Club Pick
Read an excerpt from R.F. Kuang's latest novel, here, then dive in with us throughout the month.
By Brooke Knappenberger
-
I Scoured the Summer Runways—Here Are the Six Shoe Trends Actually Worth Buying
Hit the ground running this season.
By Emma Childs
-
36 Ways Women Still Aren't Equal to Men
It's just one of the many ways women still aren't equal to men.
By Brooke Knappenberger
-
How New York's First Female Governor Plans to Fight for Women If Reelected
Kathy Hochul twice came to power because men resigned amid sexual harassment scandals. Here, how she's leading differently.
By Emily Tisch Sussman
-
Why the 2022 Midterm Elections Are So Critical
As we blaze through a highly charged midterm election season, Swing Left Executive Director Yasmin Radjy highlights rising stars who are fighting for women’s rights.
By Tanya Benedicto Klich
-
Tammy Duckworth: 'I’m Mad as Hell' About the Lack of Federal Action on Gun Safety
The Illinois Senator won't let the memory of the Highland Park shooting just fade away.
By Sen. Tammy Duckworth
-
Roe Is Gone. We Have to Keep Fighting.
Democracy always offers a path forward even when we feel thrust into the past.
By Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland, hosts of Pantsuit Politics Podcast
-
Current Gun Control Policies Are Ableist
"Solutions" like active shooter drills and arming more people put the rights of gun owners above the rights of America's most vulnerable, including disabled people like myself.
By Heather Tomko
-
The Supreme Court's Mississippi Abortion Rights Case: What to Know
The case could threaten Roe v. Wade.
By Megan DiTrolio
-
Sex Trafficking Victims Are Being Punished. A New Law Could Change That.
Victims of sexual abuse are quietly criminalized. Sara's Law protects kids that fight back.
By Dr. Devin J. Buckley and Erin Regan