Donald Trump has sparked international outrage by ordering the withdrawal of the United States from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the foundational treaty for global climate cooperation. A presidential memorandum issued this week also terminates US involvement with 65 other international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Renewable Energy Association.
The move isolates the US from global efforts to combat the climate crisis, as the UNFCCC has been ratified by every nation since its inception 34 years ago. Trump has long dismissed climate science as a “scam” and a “hoax”, and his administration has actively hindered clean energy projects in favour of fossil fuels, exacerbating extreme weather events.
UN Climate Chief Simon Stiell condemned the decision as a “colossal own goal”, warning it will harm US security and prosperity. “While all other nations are stepping forward together, this latest step back from global leadership can only harm the US economy, as wildfires, floods and storms get rapidly worse,” he stated.
Former White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy called the move “shortsighted, embarrassing and foolish”, while Manish Bapna of the Natural Resources Defense Council described it as an “unforced error” that cedes global clean energy leadership to China. Legal experts note that the UNFCCC was ratified by the Senate, raising questions about the legality of unilateral withdrawal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the cuts, claiming the organisations are “dominated by progressive ideology and detached from national interests”. However, critics argue the decision locks the US out of future climate diplomacy and investment worth trillions of dollars.
