The executive order signed by US President Donald Trump to radically alter climate change policies could sound the "death knell" to the historic Paris Agreement but though it can delay America's transition to clean energy, it cannot stop it, green bodies said on Wednesday.
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that the US President's move sets a "bad precedent" and eliminates much of the already "modest" initiatives started by the previous Barack Obama administration to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the US.
The green body said that due to US inaction, the onus will now fall on other countries to substantially scale up their ambitions to address climate change.
The decision is one of a series of "short-sighted, badly-informed" moves that is subservient to the fossil fuel industry, harms global communities and further damages Trump's reputation among real world leaders, Greenpeace USA said.
"In a move which could potentially sound the death knell to the Paris Agreement on climate change, US president Donald Trump
signed a sweeping Executive Order on 'Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth'.
"The order eliminates much of the already 'modest' policies and initiatives started by the Obama administration to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the US," CSE said.