Pulling out of Paris Agreement weakens U.S. stance as global leader

World leaders continue to keep a close eye on Washington D.C. as President Trump edges closer to pulling the United States out of deal it helped orchestrate. A decision that some warn could weaken America's stance as a global leader.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del) said withdrawing from the Paris Agreement would put the U.S. with just two other countries.

"One of those is Syria – led by Assad a killer,  and the other is Nicaragua led by Danny Ortega and why the greatest nation on Earth would want to instead of proving leadership for the of the world stand shoulder to shoulder with Syria's Assad and Nicaragua's Danny Ortega is beyond me," Carper said.

Mike Pretl, president of the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance and an attorney that takes environmental cases pointed to the fact that since World War 2 America has been a leader in dictating global policy.

 "We are basically ceding leadership if you will to other countries," Pretl said. "We're basically saying no longer are we going to do that, we're going to put America first and we're going to back off from taking that leadership."

Although Pretl said the move may harm us politically, the changes we see locally on Delmarva will be minimal.

"It's probable that most of the things we have promised to do will be done anyway because industries are moving very strongly in that direction regardless of what the government does," Pretl said.

Promises such as our commitment to clean energy. A promise already being fulfilled in Maryland after the landmark decision to approve wind turbines off the coast of Ocean City.

"If this goes through and both of the companies now have accepted the conditions the (Public Service Commission)  has laid down then Maryland could be hub, the eastern coast hub of wind energy and it'd be a great thing," Pretl said.

If Trump does decide to pull out Pretl said he won't rule out the county re-entering the agreement after the Trump administration ends.