As of Monday, the U.S. can officially begin the process of withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.
Under the accord's rules, the process will still take a year to complete, according to The New York Times.
Almost 200 nations signed onto the 2015 agreement that pledged to adopt green energy sources, cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise of global temperatures.
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During his 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump pledged to withdraw the U.S. from the pact, which he said unfairly targeted American businesses and consumers.
Earlier this year, Trump said his administration will start to negotiate reentry into the accord under terms that are fair to the U.S. and its taxpayers or negotiate a new deal that benefits the nation.
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Under the agreement, every country has an individual plan to tackle its greenhouse gas emissions.
Under the Obama administration, the U.S. vowed to cut its emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2025. It also pledged $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, which helps developing countries adapt and mitigate practices to fight climate change.
The overall agreement asks developed countries to provide $100 billion to the fund.
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The agreement went into effect on Nov. 4, 2016, 30 days after at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of the world’s global emissions ratified it on Oct. 5, 2016.
According to the U.N.’s website on climate change, the agreement has a “hybrid of legally binding and non-binding provisions.” But there’s no clear-cut consequence or penalty for countries that fall short of their pledged goals.
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According to The New York Times, governments can either request a formal withdrawal, which takes four years, or they could withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change altogether.
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