Bailing on the Paris Climate Deal Would Be a Huge Security Risk

Jun 5, 2017 | Rep. Raúl Grijalva and Michael Shank
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The Trump Administration is poised to isolate itself from reality once again — this time by potentially withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate agreement. One-hundred-and-ninety-five countries thought it prudent to protect their populations from the consequences of climate change. President Trump — unlike any other head of state — seems willing to put Americans in harm’s way. The security implications of backing out would be dire. The problem only worsens if you broaden your definition of security threat to include those releasing dangerous chemicals into the world. Every year, according to the International Energy Agency, 6.5 million people around the world die from fossil-fueled air pollution. That grim tally includes hundreds of thousands of Americans. This means more people are dying from fossil fuels than any other enemy out there. It’s easy to imagine the White House would lead the international community into immediate action against any terrorist group — or any other sort of adversary — that did what fossil fuels do to the American people.