The US president ordered the US exit from the UNFCCC along with 65 other organisations, agencies and commissions, describing them as “contrary to the interests of the United States”.
The UNFCCC treaty forms the bedrock of global cooperation on climate action and has been ratified by every country in the world since it came into force 34 years ago. The US Senate approved the treaty in October 1992.
In the past, Trump had repeatedly dismissed climate science as a “scam” and a “hoax” and, during his first presidency, rolled back clean energy initiatives and climate policies. Critics say his actions seek to entrench fossil fuel dependence at a time when climate-driven heatwaves, storms, droughts and conflicts are intensifying worldwide.
Apart from the UNFCCC, the Trump administration has also announced withdrawals from several UN bodies, including UN Women and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Non-UN organisations affected include the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize; the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the move, accusing the targeted organisations of “actively seeking to constrain American sovereignty”.
“President Trump is clear: no more sending American taxpayers’ money abroad with little to show for it,” Rubio said in a statement issued by the State Department, adding that Washington would continue reviewing its participation in other international forums.
The decision follows earlier US withdrawals under Trump from the Paris climate accord, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNESCO, as well as funding cuts to UN agencies, including the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). While some Republican lawmakers have previously called for a complete US withdrawal from the United Nations, Trump has not formally announced such a step.
According to British daily newspaper The Guardian, UN climate chief and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell described the move as a “colossal own goal”, warning it would harm the US economy and global standing. “As wildfires, floods, mega-storms and droughts worsen, stepping back from climate cooperation and science will leave the United States less secure and less prosperous,” he said.
Gina McCarthy, former climate adviser to president Joe Biden, called the decision “shortsighted, embarrassing and foolish”, saying it would forfeit decades of US leadership and influence over trillions of dollars in global climate-related investments.
Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, termed the move an “unforced error” that would undermine the US’s ability to compete with China in clean energy technologies. “While the US retreats, the rest of the world is accelerating the shift to cleaner power sources,” he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Rachel Cleetus, senior policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the decision reflected an “anti-science” approach aimed at destabilising global cooperation.
Read More: White House announces sweeping exit from global climate agreements
Legal experts have raised questions over whether Trump can unilaterally withdraw from the UNFCCC, given that the treaty was ratified by the US Senate. Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity, warned that allowing the move to stand could “shut the US out of climate diplomacy for decades”.
The climate crisis is already exacting a growing economic and human toll. In the US, record numbers of extreme weather disasters have forced insurers to withdraw from high-risk states, destabilising property markets. Scientists warn that global temperatures are nearing thresholds that could trigger irreversible damage.
“This is not leadership. It is cowardice,” said Loren Blackford, executive director of the Sierra Club, noting that the decision coincided with the anniversary of devastating wildfires that destroyed large parts of Los Angeles.
Former US vice president and climate activist Al Gore accused the administration of acting at the behest of the fossil fuel industry. “They are dismantling America’s scientific infrastructure so billionaires can profit while people and the planet pay the price,” he said.
Other organisations the US plans to exit include the Carbon Free Energy Compact, United Nations University, International Tropical Timber Organisation, International Cotton Advisory Committee and several regional and cultural bodies.