Donald Trump has sparked international outrage by ordering the United States to withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the foundational treaty for global climate cooperation, along with 65 other international organisations. A presidential memorandum issued on Wednesday labelled the agreements 'contrary to the interests of the United States'.
The UNFCCC, ratified by the US Senate in 1992, has been signed by every country and serves as the bedrock of international climate action. Trump has previously dismissed climate science as a 'scam' and 'hoax', and his administration has obstructed clean energy projects while prioritising fossil fuels.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell described the move as a 'colossal own goal' that would harm the US economy and security as climate-related disasters intensify. Former climate adviser Gina McCarthy called it 'shortsighted, embarrassing and foolish', while Manish Bapna of the Natural Resources Defense Council warned that the US was ceding global leadership in clean energy to China.
The withdrawal also includes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Renewable Energy Association, and the International Solar Alliance. As the UNFCCC was Senate-ratified, legal experts question whether Trump can unilaterally exit, potentially locking the US out of climate diplomacy permanently.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the move, saying the agreements 'are often dominated by progressive ideology and detached from national interests'. The US has already announced its exit from the Paris climate deal and skipped recent UN climate talks.
