Trump's Paris decision is bad for technological development

No wonder Elon Musk left his advisory role in the Trump White House. Trump's Paris decision is not only bad for life on this planet, but also for the pace of technological change. In spite of the Bannon Royal Family and Republican factions in the Trump White House, none of them seem to be concerned with the economy or technological development. That is bad for us all.

During the Chinese presidency of the G-20 in 2016, the focus of the global jobs and growth agenda shifted toward innovation. Innovation-based growth put forward a technology transfer and technology diffusion enhancing global structural reform agenda. Finally there was focus. The Paris Climate deal was part and parcel of the global agenda. I was expecting a process where growth would be delinked from carbon emissions forever. And then came Donald the Trump. 

In 2016, there were 195 countries that signed the Paris climate deal. Later on, 147 of the parties ratified the agreement, representing 84 percent of global emissions, including the U.S. Now Trump has decided to remove his country's signature and annul the ratification. That will definitely make it harder for the climate deal to be operational, as the Green Climate Fund cannot easily be established. So is everything finished? No. A country that signed and ratified the deal cannot just leave the agreement. The earliest date to leave the agreement will be Nov. 4, 2020. Yet the damage is done, if you ask me. 

In the past, every question on environmental sustainability brought forth a debate on who is going to pay the price. I remember even Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang asking the same question. Now look at China. Why? There was a one-to-one correspondence between growth and carbon emissions at the time. Not anymore. Now...