Trump now has opening to pull US out of Paris climate pact

WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than two years, President Donald Trump has talked about pulling the United States out of the landmark Paris climate agreement . Starting Monday, he finally can do something about it.

But the withdrawal process will take a year and doesn’t become official until the day after the 2020 presidential election.

In the Paris agreement, nearly 200 countries set their own national targets for reducing or controlling pollution of heat-trapping gases. It was negotiated in 2015 and took effect on Nov. 4, 2016.

Under the deal, no country can withdraw in the first three years. So Monday is the first time the U.S. can actually start the withdrawal process, which begins with a letter to the United Nations. Even then it wouldn’t become official for a year.