President Trump signed a slew of executive orders Monday after his inauguration, including an order to begin the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Sean Gallup/AP hide caption
paris agreement
Tuesday
Wednesday
Emissions rise from a smokestack in Ohio. The United States has contributed more heat-trapping pollution than any country over time and has been the prime driver of global climate change. Dane Rhys/Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images hide caption
How decades of disinformation about fossil fuels halted U.S. climate policy
Wednesday
In this July 29, 2020 file photo, a view of a pump jack operating in an oil field in Midland, Texas. Tony Gutierrez/AP hide caption
Monday
Refrigerators on sale in 2018 in Pennsylvania. The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to phase out the use of cooling chemicals that are powerful greenhouse gases. Keith Srakocic/AP hide caption
Wednesday
Earth's atmosphere photographed from the International Space Station. Greenhouse gases have accumulated rapidly and are trapping extra heat in the atmosphere. It will take decades for the gases to break down naturally or be reabsorbed on Earth's surface. Expedition 28 Crew/International Space Station/NASA hide caption
Carbon Emissions Could Plummet. The Atmosphere Will Lag Behind
Wednesday
Climate change has been a key factor in increasing the risk and extent of wildfires and other catastrophic weather events. Here, an aerial view shows neighborhoods in Monrovia, Calif., shrouded in smoke from the Bobcat Fire in September. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption
Tuesday
The Hunter power plant in Utah generates electricity by burning coal. Coal combustion releases enormous amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The Utah plant is scheduled to keep operating until 2042. George Frey/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Tuesday
The smokestacks of a coal-fired power plant near Emmet, Kan., in September 2020. Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption
Thursday
Methane emitted by ruminant animals such as cattle and sheep accounted for 34% of New Zealand's greenhouse emissions in 2017. A flock of merino sheep on the country's South Island is seen here in April 2017. William West/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Monday
The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that it is withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. The move comes as climate change drives more frequent and severe wildfires, hurricanes — such as Hurricane Florence in 2018 — and other hazards. Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg/Getty Images hide caption
U.S. Formally Begins To Leave The Paris Climate Agreement
Wednesday
French President Emmanuel Macron gives a thumbs-up after he delivered an address to a joint meeting of Congress Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption
Wednesday
France's President Emmanuel Macron, center, Arnold Schwarzenegger, left, and Prime Minister of Belgium Charles Michel, right, pose for a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower while aboard a boat cruising on the Seine River after the One Planet Summit, Paris, Tuesday, Dec. 12. Thibault Camus/AP hide caption
Monday
France's President Emmanuel Macron meets with former U.N. Secretary-Generals Kofi Annan (left) and Ban Ki-moon (right) at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday. Michel Euler/AP hide caption
Thursday
Climate conference attendees in Bonn, Germany, see a representation of Earth's climate trends. Ulrich Baumgarten/Getty Images hide caption
As Climate Negotiators Debate Nations' Pledges, Scientists Worry It's Not Enough
Monday
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt attends a Cabinet meeting with President Trump in June. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption