Exxon CEO wants Trump administration to keep US in Paris climate agreement

Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods says that the incoming Trump administration should keep the U.S. in the Paris climate agreement in an interview with the Wall Street Journal released Tuesday.

The oil giant's chief executive told the Journal that the country's shifting stances on the climate accords creates a difficult business environment.

“I don’t think the stops and starts are the right thing for business,” Woods said. “It is extremely inefficient. It creates a lot of uncertainty.”

The Journal noted that the company has supported the agreement since 2015.

The first Trump administration formally removed the U.S. from the agreement in 2020, though the Biden administration reversed the decision in 2021.

Woods told the Journal that the change in administrations would not alter how Exxon thinks about the future.

"We don’t let political agendas drive our business and investment decisions we make,” Woods said.

What is the Paris climate agreement?

The Paris climate agreement is a global agreement by almost 200 countries to combat climate change that the United States entered into in 2015 under then-President Barack Obama.

The agreement requires countries to set their own voluntary targets for reducing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. The only binding requirement is that nations have to accurately report on their efforts.

Removing the U.S. from the agreement was a major policy plank of the Trump campaign. Politico and Bloomberg have reported that the new Trump administration would attempt to remove the U.S. from the United Nations' entire climate framework.

Removing the U.S. from the climate agreement would take place one year after a formal declaration to do so.

Contributing: Elizabeth Weise, John Bacon

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Exxon Mobil CEO to Trump: Keep US in Paris climate agreement