President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on tackling climate change has been labelled "an act of vandalism" and "irresponsible".

Mr Trump was accused of ignoring science and putting people's lives and prosperity at risk by rejecting the deal, which aims to avert dangerous climate change.

But it was also claimed the move would isolate the US, as other countries continued to take action, and that the shift to a low-carbon world was now unstoppable.

U.S. President Donald Trump announces his decision for the United States to pull out of the Paris climate agreement in the Rose Garden at the White House June 1, 2017 in Washington, DC.

UK Environmental law firm ClientEarth's chief executive James Thornton said: "Trump's decision to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement is an act of vandalism that has the potential to do great harm to current and future generations.

"Even without the US as a party, Paris still represents our best chance of avoiding severe and destabilising climate change.

"The rest of the world must continue to build on Paris to speed the transition to a cleaner, lower-carbon world."

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: "The government that once launched the Apollo space programme and helped found the United Nations has turned its back on science and international cooperation.

"By rejecting the Paris agreement, Donald Trump has chosen to back the short-term profits of fossil fuel companies over the security, health and prosperity of hundreds of millions of people in the US and the rest of the world."

He called on UK prime minister Theresa May to "publicly distance herself from Trump's irresponsible move".

Professor Venki Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society, said the agreement had been the result of a consensus of the world's leading climate experts.

He said: "The future is in newer, cleaner and renewable technologies, not in fossil fuels. Such technologies will also help in our fight against air pollution and ensure greater energy security globally.

"President Trump is not putting America first, he is tethering it to the past."

Protesters gather outside the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 1, 2017, to protest President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the Unites States from the Paris climate change accord

Nick Molho, executive director of the Aldersgate Group, an alliance of business, politics and civil society leaders driving action for a sustainable economy, said Mr Trump's decision would not result in a U-turn on climate action in the US or globally.

"Several US States have made clear commitments to continue investing in low carbon technologies and major US businesses such as Walmart have set ambitious targets to cut carbon emissions and increase the use of renewable energy," he said.

Globally, the shift to a low carbon economy was gathering pace, he said, with coal use in China and India slowing faster than expected, record levels of investment in renewables, and recent commitments by world leaders.

Major global players such as the UK must continue to build competitive, low carbon economies and honour their commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Stephanie Pfeifer, chief executive of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, said the US administration was "failing to recognise what is already an inevitable and irreversible direction of travel away from dependence on fossil fuels and towards a low carbon future - with all the jobs, growth and innovation that this entails".

And Rahul Ghosh, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody's Investors Service, said: "The withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement will not stall global efforts to reduce carbon emissions given that robust institutional and private sector momentum, including technological advancements, will continue to drive sustainable and climate agendas forward."

The Church of England's lead bishop on the environment has condemned President Trump's decision.

The Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury, said: "I am, frankly, very disturbed by President Trump's decision to revoke the United States' commitment to the Paris Agreement, which was a global commitment made in good faith.

"Climate change is one of the great challenges of our times.

"How can President Trump look in the eye the people most affected, including the world's poorest in the places most affected by climate change now, and those affected by increasingly frequent extreme weather in parts of the USA?

"The leader of what used to be called 'the new world' is trapped in old world thought and action.

"President Trump has not recognised the economic potential of renewable energy which represents a paradigm shift capable of generating sustainable prosperity.

"What will our children and grandchildren say to us about the way we respond to this extreme carelessness?

"Ours is the first generation which cannot say we did not know about the human impact on climate change.

"For the US government to withdraw from taking responsible action in keeping with the Paris agreement is an abject failure of leadership.

"In challenging President Trump's decision, 'we the people', including churches and other faith leaders, must speak clearly: this decision is wrong for the USA and for the world."