A couple of interesting things about the Paris Agreement:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Article 28 enables a party to withdraw from the agreement after sending a withdrawal notification three years after it becomes effective in that country, and the withdrawal is effective one year after notification. Since the agreement became effective in the US on Nov. 4, 2016, the earliest possible effective withdrawal date is Nov. 4, 2020. So for all Trump's bluster, the agreement will be in effect for almost all of his first term (or longer, considering how things are starting to unravel). Was his withdrawal merely symbolic, a fuck-you to all those mean Europeans like Macron who were insufficiently deferential to him?

2. Russia signed onto and supports the Paris Agreement. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/russia-paris-agreement-climate-change-donald-trump-us-decision-global-warming-moscow-putin-a7766481.html Russia has a lot of oil and its flimsy economy depends to a considerable extent on fossil fuels, but it joined the agreement anyhow. Why did Trump pull out despite BFF Putin's support for the agreement?

[MineralMan]

1. He pulled out because Obama.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Which, if true, would suggest that obliterating all traces of Obama

is more important to Dolt 45 than even the good graces of Putin. But, since the Paris Agreement does not actually have teeth (there are no enforcement mechanisms), and the withdrawal won't be effective until November of 2020 anyhow, Pooty's feelings won't be hurt and they can keep doing the more important things together, like grifting and destroying democracy.

[MineralMan]

5. Trump doesn't know, and Trump doesn't care.

It's all symbolic to him. By systematically reversing anything that has Obama's name on it, he thinks he's defeating Obama. That's his only goal, really.

The man no longer thinks clearly, that's obvious. So, his planning ability is limited, as well. He does what he wants, listens to nobody, and amuses himself. The real tragedy of memory loss disorders is that the person suffering isn't aware of the deficits.

Trump has no business being in the position he's in.

[ismnotwasm]

3. I believe a lot of what he does is for his base of ignorant voters.

"Intellectual" conservatives, the ones who aren't crazy, or single issue conservatives (guns, abortion) tend to find Trump distasteful at best, at least in my anecdotal observation. But there are millions who apparently cling to him as some sort of savior, I can't tell, obviously, if they are actually stupid, or conspiracy theorists. I know they are a racist and misogynistic bag of dicks. (Not being Hillary Clinton, I can take it further than "deplorable&quot

I also believe he's out to make money, isn't over troubled by ethics OR morals because he's always been this way. He is at his most successful when promoting himself as a brand. He's still doing it.

[Bleacher Creature]

4. Can we re-enter the agreement in January 2021?

It will only have been around 2.5 months since we officially exited. Granted, the world will have moved on. And, it will be unlikely that we'll be in a position to meet the 2025 targets, unless the private sector steps up in a big way.

It would, however, signify that we're ready to take a leadership role again behind a (hopefully) new President.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. I should think so.

Maybe the agreement would be improved by then, and have some teeth. The reason Nicaragua wouldn't sign on is because they didn't think it was tough enough (Syria didn't sign because they are busy with a civil war).