Environment — News & Analysis

Trump withdraws U.S. from Paris Agreement — again (January 20, 2025)

January 20, 2025 — On his first day back in office, President Trump signed Executive Order 14162, titled "Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements," initiating the second U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate accord — the global treaty under which nearly 200 nations committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting warming. "I'm immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris climate accord rip-off," he told supporters at Capital One Arena, to loud cheers. The withdrawal became effective exactly one year later, on January 20, 2026.

The U.S. had previously withdrawn from Paris during Trump's first term, then rejoined under President Biden in 2021 — just 77 days after the first withdrawal took effect. The second departure leaves the U.S. without any internationally binding commitment to reduce emissions, cuts off contributions to the Green Climate Fund and other multilateral climate finance mechanisms, and withdraws the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution — the country's stated plan for reducing greenhouse gases. Trump also signed companion EOs on day one canceling Biden climate executive actions and freezing implementation of federal climate policy.

International allies expressed alarm. The U.S. is the world's largest historical emitter of carbon dioxide and the second-largest current emitter, making its participation — or absence — central to any effective global response. The European Union, China, and other major economies reaffirmed their commitments, but analysts noted that U.S. withdrawal undermines the agreement's enforcement dynamics and signals to other countries that climate pledges are reversible at the next election.