After decades of negotiations, all 197 nations in the world decided to voluntarily cut the heat-trapping pollution that is causing the climate crisis by signing the Paris climate agreement. Only a handful of countries have not ratified the deal. But on 4 November, in a coincidence of timing just 24 hours after its presidential election, the US will formally exit the agreement, joining Iran and Turkey as the only major countries not to participate in the pact, which is seen by many as the minimum effort the world needs to make on cutting emissions. The Guardian’s environment reporters Emily Holden and Oliver Milman look at why Donald Trump wants to leave the agreement, whether the deal can be successful without the US and what is at stake for the planet without America’s cooperation.
