President Trump Cites Heritage Research on Paris Climate Change Agreement 

HERITAGE IMPACT

President Trump Cites Heritage Research on Paris Climate Change Agreement 

May 15, 2017

President Donald Trump speaks to thousands at a April 29, 2017 "Make America Great Again" rally in Harrisburg, PA. Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto/Sipa/Newscom

President Donald Trump cited Heritage Foundation research on the Paris climate change agreement during his speech in Harrisburg, Pa., that marked his 100th day in office.

“On top of that, it is estimated that for compliance with the agreement could ultimately shrink America’s GDP by $2.5 trillion over a 10 year period,” said Trump. 

The figure is drawn from a report by Heritage experts Kevin Dayaratna, Nicolas Loris, and David Kreutzer. They concluded that the Paris climate accord would inflict devastating economic costs for practical no environmental benefit.

“Policies adapted from domestic regulations emphasized in the Paris agreement will affect a variety of aspects of the American economy. As a result of the plan, one can expect that by 2035, there will be:
 

  • An overall average shortfall of nearly 400,000 jobs;
  • An average manufacturing shortfall of over 200,000 jobs;
  • A total income loss of more than $20,000 for a family of four;
  • An aggregate gross domestic product (GDP) loss of over $2.5 trillion; and
  • Increases in household electricity expenditures between 13 percent and 20 percent.”

This is not the first time the Trump White House has relied on Heritage research into climate change regulations. In March, Trump issued an executive order undoing an Obama-era policy requiring the EPA to consider the “social cost of carbon” when making regulations. 

Trump’s order was inspired by a 2013 Heritage analysis finding that the EPA’s models were fundamentally flawed.

Rolling back the “social cost of carbon” policy and other climate regulations could boost the economy, Loris wrote in March.