Trump has repeatedly called climate change a "hoax" perpetrated by the chinese in the past.He also appointed former Exxon CEO Rex tillerson as Secretary of state and as secretary of state and a known climate denier scott pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

America’s President Donald Trump must have been given a lot of extravagant and expensive gifts in his lifetime. The gift that Pope Francis gave him in May when the two met at the Vatican may not make it to his most favourite list. Pope Francis gifted Trump his 2015 encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si or Praise Be to You

Trump has been a repeated critic of climate science, once arguing that global warming was a hoax invented by the Chinese. The Pope has proved to be far more modern than his predecessors, including his strong belief in the science of climate change and the need for action

But obviously, Trump did not have the time to read the Pope’s arguments in favour of climate action because a week later the POTUS walked out of the Paris Accord on climate.

During a belligerent White House rose garden address, the US President said he wanted to reassert American sovereignty.

"We don't want other countries and other leaders laughing at us anymore," he said, adding that the current deal could cost the US as many as 2.7 million jobs by 2025.

“The Paris climate accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States, to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workers, who I love, and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories and vastly diminished economic production,” he said.

It was not an unexpected move. Trump even during his run up to the Presidency was a vocal opponent of climate change and frequently tweeted his mind on the matter.

However, the Paris Accord will in all likelihood survive Donald Trump’s decision to pull out. Not that it was a surprise but definitely a shock to the deal which was worked upon with so much painful precision only 18 months earlier. It is another indication of US readiness to abandon global leadership, and it is a gift to China, ambitious to be seen as a mature and reliable global player, and already a world leader in renewable energy technology. There will not be immediate consequences for the planet, but the time available for effective action is already perilously short; even the threat of a backward step by the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases could carry serious consequences.

But despite the setback, it is amply clear of how soundly the Paris agreement has been built. Almost 150 0f the 197 signatories have ratified the deal. And nothing is going to destroy it – even the pulling out of someone as big a part of it as the US. The reaction to President Trump’s decision suggests that just as Brexit has made the rest of the EU come together, so support for the Paris agreement will be reinvigorated. From the immediate public condemnation of the move by Germany, France, Italy and China, and India’s reaffirmation of its commitment, to the Vatican’s description of it as a slap in the face for the pope, it may be that this will galvanise the rest of the world.

There is a huge gap between Trump’s policy on climate change and the sciencebased needs of the world which grows wider by the day. But then as they say every cloud has a silver lining – the President’s rash and rather dangerous decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement has only reinvigorated others to double their efforts to reduce carbon emissions – a wide range of local, state and foreign governments as well as businesses are not only more determined to carry on with their existing efforts but to try and create broader coalitions to achieve bigger gains.

These are more than “Kumbaya” steps. Local and state governments are economic engines that can expand demand for renewable energy by helping drive down the costs for nongovernmental consumers. This is one way around Trump’s fossil fuelburning agenda. In March, Los Angeles joined 30 other cities in asking the automotive industry about the feasibility of buying a combined 114,000 electric vehicles for their fleets, a potential $10billion deal that would reduce city fleet emissions and drastically expand the market for such vehicles. Last year, only 159,139 electric vehicles were bought, a tiny fraction of the 17.55 million sold.Of course, setting goals is one thing and meeting them is another. But even officials with firms such as Sempra, which is heavily involved in natural-gas power generation, and the California Independent System Operator, which oversees about 80% of the state power system, see the 100% renewable goal as attainable

Even businesses have recognized that there is profit in reduced carbon emissions and are taking steps in that direction. A number of major corporations also lobbied with Trump publicly to stay within the Paris agreement, arguing that their interests are “best served by a stable and practical framework facilitating an effective and balanced global response.”

We all agree that there is need to do much more and surely the combined effort in tandem with the US government would have been far more effective. But corporations and subnational governments could pitch in to have a major impact on where the world ends up. It is unfortunate that Trump has turned his back on a more habitable planet. But that does not necessarily mean that the rest of us should. Or can.