President Donald Trump will once again withdraw the United States from the Paris climate deal, the White House said on Monday, removing the world's biggest historic emitter from global efforts to fight climate change for the second time in a decade.
The decision would place the United States alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries in the world outside the 2015 pact, in which governments agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
The announcement, in a document from the White House, reflects Trump’s skepticism about global warming, which he has called a hoax, and fits in with his broader agenda to unfetter U.S. oil and gas drillers from regulation so they can maximize output.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is confident that U.S. cities, states and businesses "will continue to demonstrate vision and leadership by working for the low-carbon, resilient economic growth that will create quality jobs," said associate U.N. spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino, in a written statement.
"It is crucial that the United States remains a leader on environmental issues," she said. "The collective efforts under the Paris Agreement have made a difference but we need to go much further and faster together."
The United States is already the world’s top producer of oil and natural gas thanks to a years-long drilling boom in Texas, New Mexico and elsewhere fueled by fracking technology and strong global prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
SECOND U.S. WITHDRAWAL
Trump also withdrew the U.S. from the Paris deal during his first term in office, though the process took years and was immediately reversed by the Biden presidency in 2021. The withdrawal this time around is likely to take less time – as little as a year - because Trump will not be bound by the deal’s initial three-year commitment.
This time could also be more damaging to global climate efforts, said Paul Watkinson, a former climate negotiator and senior policy advisor for France.
The U.S. is currently the world's second-biggest greenhouse gas emitter behind China and its departure undermines global ambition to slash those emissions.
"It will be harder this time because we are in the thick of implementation, up against real choices," Watkinson said.
The world is now on pace for global warming of more than 3 C by the end of the century, according to a recent United Nations report, a level scientists warn would trigger cascading impacts such as sea level rise, heat waves, and devastating storms.
Nations have already been struggling to make steep cuts to emissions required to lower the projected temperature increase, as wars, political tensions and tight government budgets push climate change down the list of priorities.
Trump’s approach cuts a stark contrast to that of former President Joe Biden, who wanted the United States to lead global climate efforts and sought to encourage a transition away from oil and gas using subsidies and regulations.
Trump has said he intends to unwind those subsidies and regulations to shore up the nation’s budget and grow the economy, but has said he can do that while ensuring clean air and water in the United States.
Li Shuo, an expert in climate diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the U.S. withdrawal risks undermining the United States' ability to compete with China in clean energy markets such as solar power and electric vehicles.
"China stands to win, and the U.S. risks lagging further behind," he said.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
19 Comments
Login to comment
GBR48
Green energy production (solar, wind, hydro, geo) offers better resilience and self-sufficiency to buying fossils from countries like Russia, Iran, the Middle East and the US - none of which you really want to have to rely on.
So obtaining as much of your own energy from green sources is a really sensible thing to do, even if you are a climate-change denying nationalist.
Desert Tortoise
Shameful and short sighted.
indigo
Global warming theory and climate change policy is a scam. nobody trusts those BS GOVs.
if the pseudo scientists are correct, the planet is already screwed therefore there is no reason to act as reversal effect can not be made....
USA politics believes and relies on God . it makes more sense to trust Gods than greedy humans.............
Tokyo Guy
The decision would place the United States alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries in the world outside the 2015 pact,
We always did keep the best company...
When the history books are written, and they get to "USA, 2025", the list of "principal allies based on shared values" will be Russia, China, Iran, Libya, Yemen, etc.
Zaphod
Sanity returns. Sensible environmental policy has nothing to do with bowing under UN-led power grabs.
Peter14
And the rot begins. US leading the world in world ending policies. Trump cares not as he will likely pass on well before the climate can get him, unless a new pandemic arrives with a much deadlier mortality rate.
Check out "Earth abides" a mini series, to see what a civilization ending pandemic "could" look like.
Trumps tar pit is now live. we will all get stuck in it this time.
virusrex
Completely mistaken, the best scientists of the world don't become "pseudo-" just because they can demonstrate something you refuse to accept, and they do not say that there is nothing to do, that is just an effort from antiscientific groups to mislead people into making wrong decisions.
Being in denial of proved scientific facts is not sanity, is the opposite of sanity.
iknowall
Trump recognizes the silliness of the former administration.
Bad Haircut
Only hours into the new administration, and the good news continues unabated.
Desert Tortoise
Leaving the pact achieves nothing. If you want a good result you have to remain engaged in the process. Pretending the problem doesn't exist doesn't make the problem go away. Defiance doesn't earn you allies in the process. In the end you find yourself isolated and impoverished.
robert maes
Very good move. Only talk and paper achievements but nothing tangible except cosy appointments, large expense accounts, added pollution by the nonsense meetings. Has achieved nothing.
virusrex
Wait, so you think the Paris agreement was supposed to solve things already? What made you have this completely wrong concept? The agreements are in order to prevent the worst of the climate change disasters that will still come in the future since it requires sustained and strong measures to be put in order as soon as possible. This is like complaining that a meeting to discuss what treatment a patient will have "achieved nothing" because one of the doctors refused to participate.
What scientific organization on a related field said that the agreements are "silliness"
starpunk
And the WHO too. Watch Covid strike again in the USA.
1glenn
President Felon back to his old tricks.
Desert Tortoise
The next pandemic will be H5N1. The US might now be the least prepared nation in the world to deal with another pandemic.
virusrex
It may, which would not be the worst case scenario since many countries have been preparing to deal with it, so the damage may be limited. Climate change is also changing the rules of outbreaks so an unexpected pathogen (filovirus, henipavirus, flavivirus) or one not yet identified may cause even more damage than influenza.
The US withdrawing from both the Paris agreement and the WHO guarantees that the risks of a new pandemic will increase, and the US is likely to account to a much higher than expected number of victims seeing how vigilance, education and preparedness are being abandoned.
Peter14
Trump and his policies are the biggest threat to US survival. Stupidity can lead to death and Trump has that in spades.
bass4funk
You’ll live
Here we go. The entire Climate change crap is what got Trump elected. No one wants EVs and it should be decided by the market and not forced on anyone, thankfully some of these car manufacturers are coming to their senses and going back to gasoline
Peter14
Sounds like an argument from tobacco growers. (let people decide if they want to smoke, even if it kills them). If gullible people keep doing things that kill themselves thats one thing, but doing things that could kill everyone is completely different. Some dont seem to understand that concept at all.
Kill yourself thats your business, endanger me and it becomes my business. And you can be sure in those circumstances I am going to push back. Climate is such a topic, we all share the one planet and its atmosphere. So dont expect people to go quiet on it just because 46 million or so Americans chose a criminal and an idiot as President.