There are two reasons why Trump backed out: (a) he enjoys the look of horror on conscientious' peoples' faces, and (b) it was the only quick "win" with his hardcore supporters that was available.
> it was the only quick "win" with his hardcore supporters that was available
Surprised this isn't being covered more.
This decision is basically it for Trump supporters for the rest of his term. Everything else e.g. the wall, infrastructure spending, budget cuts, repeal Obamacare etc. all require Congress who will never have the votes to pass anything in both Senate and House.
When you think about it he almost for political reasons had to pull out.
Of course India was allowed to use more coal. Paris is a voluntary agreement.
India, like all countries, can do whatever on earth they want. Just like Trump could've stayed in the agreement, behind the scenes done absolutely nothing for the environment (like he is now) and there would've been a lot less criticism.
The fact he didn't choose this option tells you everything. It was a political decision only.
Doesn't it also stop the transfer of money from US to other countries e.g. the $100 billion annually funded by the developed nations for developing nations? If that's the case, it's not a political decision only.
I am highly amused that you truly believe Trumps speech that India is getting hundreds of billions of dollars from the US for the Paris agreement.
"Contesting Trump's claims of 'billions and billions and billions' of foreign aid to India, the TOI report noted that total foreign aid to India in 2015 was only $3.1 billion, with US aid to India only around $100 million. These figures are further expected to drop down to $34 million in 2018.
It is interesting to note that India buys $100 million worth of California almonds alone every year, besides billions in armaments from the US."
