The withdrawal will take effect on Nov. 4, 2020, one day after the 2020 presidential election.
According to the BBC, the Paris Climate Accord included efforts to limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity to the same levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally, beginning at some point between 2050 and 2100, as well as a review of each country's contribution to cutting emissions every five years.
Pompeo said the U.S. would instead follow "a realistic and pragmatic model," using "all energy sources and technologies cleanly and efficiently."
CRS said in a Nov. 4 statement that the Paris Climate Accord signifies international recognition that climate change is especially threatening "the most vulnerable who contributed the least to it," and asserted that the agreement would "secure the cooperation, action and resources needed to address the problem."
The agency also quoted Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical Laudato Si on the environment: "Faced with a climate emergency, we must take action accordingly, in order to avoid perpetrating a brutal act of injustice towards the poor and future generations."
CRS noted that in Bangladesh, rising sea levels are encroaching on water tables and coastal homes. In Central America, CRS said in 2017, coffee farmers are losing their crops due to more frequent drought and because warmer temperatures help pests thrive.
According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 are the four warmest years in recorded history, with 2019 projected to be in the top three.
The next UN climate summit will begin in Madrid in December.