Animated map shows what the US would look like if all the Earth's ice melted

May 31, 2017

Animated map shows what the US would look like if all the Earth's ice melted

President Donald Trump has reportedly decided to take the US out of the Paris climate accord, Jonathan Swan reports at Axios, citing two sources.

Politico and CNN are also reporting Trump's intention to pull out of the agreement, citing White House officials.

Whether Trump would stay in the deal — a cornerstone of Barack Obama's environmental policy — has been a looming question of his presidency so far. Recently, on his trip abroad, the president was pressured by European allies to stay a part of the accord.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who repeatedly called for the US to exit the agreement, will be part of a small team figuring out the details of the withdrawal, according to Axios.

Trump has previously called climate change a "hoax" and said while campaigning that he would "cancel" the December 2015 Paris deal if elected.

The Paris agreement was a landmark moment in the environmental movement. It marked the first time that 195 countries came together and agreed to limit carbon emissions in order to keep the planet from warming another 2 degrees Celsius.

Climate experts warn any global temperature spike above 2 degrees Celsius could bring terrible consequences, from unavoidable sea level rise to unpredictable shifts in weather and drought.

If all the Earth's land ice melted, sea levels would rise over 200 feet. Here's what would that mean for the United States' coastlines.

Alex Kuzoian contributed reporting to an earlier version of this article.

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