It’s official, the United States is now the only country in the world that has rejected the Paris climate agreement. At the two-week UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, Syria announced its decision to ratify the agreement. Syria’s decision comes a month after Nicaragua signed the deal.Syria has been entangled in a civil was since 2011. The country was unable to sign the agreement because, due to the government being subject to European and American sanctions, its leaders had not been able to send representatives to negotiate or sign the pact.
But Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement has not deterred U.S. companies or local governments from taking charge. This year, although the Trump administration has sent a negotiating team that has only scheduled one panel discussion on how fossil fuels fit into a low-carbon future, companies like the Coca-Cola Company, HP Inc. and Citigroup Inc., are planning to speak on U.S. progress in cutting emissions.
U.S. companies now have the challenge of preventing global giants like China and India from backing out of the Paris deal. A job Mr. Trump appears to believe is not worth his time. But how long will it last? Will Trump be able to handle the loneliness?
