MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. Washington’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement is a terrible mistake, Russian Natural Resources and Environment Minister Sergei Donskoi wrote on Facebook.

"This a terrible mistake! Donald Trump has actually aborted the Paris Agreement by withdrawing from it, as the US is a major player," he wrote. "But from a historical viewpoint, nothing unexpected happened as he did exactly what the US had done in connection with the first international document aimed at fighting the climate change, which was the Kyoto Protocol," Donskoi said.

On Friday, the United States notified the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. The withdrawal process is expected to take over two years.

Paris Climate Agreement

The Paris Agreement was adopted on December 12, 2015, at the COP-21 UN Climate Change Conference held in the capital of France. The 195 forum participants agreed to avert a rise in the average global air temperature by more than 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2100 compared to the preindustrial era. Scientists believe higher temperatures may bring about irreversible consequences for the environment.

On April 22, 2016, as many as 175 countries, including Russia, Germany, India, China and the United States, signed the agreement at a summit held at the United Nations headquarters.

As of August 4, as many as 158 countries, including China, have ratified the document.

According to the agreement, by 2025, the US was to reduce gas emissions by 26-28% in comparison with the levels seen ten years ago.