Trump signs executive order directing US withdrawal from Paris climate agreement

FILE – Wind turbines stretch across the horizon at dusk at the Spearville Wind Farm in Kansas (Charlie Riedel/AP, File)

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing the United States to again withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, dealing a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming and once again distancing the US from its closest allies.

Mr Trump’s action, hours after he was sworn in to a second term, echoed his directive in 2017, when he announced that the US would abandon the global Paris accord.