Former President Donald Trump has announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord if he is reelected in November. This declaration, reported by Politico on June 28, 2024, would mark the second time Trump has taken this action, underscoring the enduring efforts by conservative factions to drastically reshape U.S. climate policy.
Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed the campaign’s commitment to this course of action. When asked if Trump would repeat his withdrawal from the Paris accord, Leavitt stated unequivocally, “Yes, he has said that.”
During a recent debate with President Joe Biden in Atlanta, Trump labeled the Paris agreement as “a rip off of the United States” and “a disaster.” Conservative think tanks and industry lawyers have prepared executive orders for Trump to sign if he returns to the Oval Office. These orders include a particularly drastic proposal that would see the U.S. not only exit the Paris agreement but also withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the backbone of international climate negotiations.
More Read
An oil industry lawyer familiar with these preparations revealed that multiple versions of draft executive orders are ready for Trump’s signature. These orders vary in scope but share the common goal of disengaging the U.S. from international climate commitments. One version specifically includes provisions for withdrawing from the UNFCCC, a move that would require Senate approval for any future reentry and could leave the U.S. isolated in global climate discussions for years.
Leavitt did not address whether Trump would seek to leave the UNFCCC, leaving open the possibility of an even more profound retreat from global climate cooperation. Such a move would be a significant blow to international efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a target that is already proving challenging to meet.
The Biden administration has worked diligently to rebuild the U.S.’s role in global climate policy since rejoining the Paris agreement. Notable achievements include a critical agreement with China to reduce emissions from the power sector and to curb all greenhouse gases within this decade. However, a renewed U.S. withdrawal could severely undermine these efforts and create a leadership vacuum in international climate policy, especially at a time when the European Union’s green parties have suffered electoral setbacks.
The United States originally joined the Paris Agreement in 2015 under President Barack Obama. Trump’s initial withdrawal in 2017 was a significant setback, but Biden’s return to the accord was seen as a recommitment to global climate leadership.
Mandy Gunasekara, founder of a nonprofit touting the Trump administration’s environmental gains, and a vocal critic of the Paris agreement, described it as “a bad deal for the United States,” arguing that it “does little to meaningfully reduce emissions” and has been used to justify regulations that make energy more expensive. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has also been a vocal advocate for withdrawing from the Paris agreement. Their Project 2025 policy blueprint outlines numerous steps they hope the next Republican president will take, including exiting the Paris accord.
Trump’s previous withdrawal process from the Paris agreement in 2019 required a formal notice to the U.N. secretary-general and a one-year waiting period before the exit was official. A similar process would be necessary for any future withdrawal. However, leaving the UNFCCC would be a much more drastic measure, effectively ending U.S. participation in global climate talks and significantly reducing international climate cooperation.
Exiting the UNFCCC would not only halt the U.S.’s involvement in climate negotiations but also cut off its contributions to international climate finance mechanisms, such as the Green Climate Fund. During Trump’s first term, contributions to this fund were halted, and a complete exit would likely discourage other nations from fulfilling their financial commitments.
As the November election approaches, Trump’s climate policy stance remains a contentious issue, promising significant implications for both domestic and global environmental efforts.
