US Exits Paris Climate Pact, Again

The United States has officially withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement for a second time, a significant move initiated by Donald Trump on his first day back as president. This action, which took effect on January 27, 2026, makes the U.S. the only nation to have exited the pact, according to The Guardian.

The withdrawal was set in motion on January 20, 2025, when President Trump signed an executive order titled "Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements," as reported by White & Case LLP. This decision underscores a renewed focus on domestic priorities over international climate commitments, according to White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers.

This departure places the U.S. alongside Iran, Libya, and Yemen as non-parties to the global accord, as noted by The Guardian. Experts suggest this repeated withdrawal, coupled with leaving the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, will significantly complicate global climate efforts.

The move has been framed by the White House as an "America First" victory, arguing the agreement undermined economic growth and wasted taxpayer dollars, according to POLITICO Pro. This stance aligns with previous criticisms that the pact would put the U.S. at a "permanent disadvantage," as President Trump contended during his first term.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres previously warned in November 2024 that a second U.S. exit could cause a major setback for the Paris Agreement, potentially crippling global climate progress. The U.S. is one of the world's largest emitters, making its participation crucial for achieving global climate targets, earth.org reported.

The decision also reinforces perceptions of the U.S. as an unreliable partner in global policy, according to experts cited by The Guardian. This repeated disengagement could erode trust and increase future engagement costs for Washington in international negotiations, GIS Reports stated in August 2025.

Domestically, the withdrawal leaves the U.S. without a national target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, shifting climate action further to states, cities, and companies, illuminem reported on January 27, 2026. This mirrors responses seen during the first withdrawal, where subnational entities continued to pursue climate goals.

• Historical Precedent and Reversals: This marks the second time the United States has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, highlighting a recurring pattern in U.S. climate policy. President Donald Trump first announced the U.S. withdrawal in June 2017, which officially took effect on November 4, 2020, as detailed by Wikipedia. Following his inauguration, President Joe Biden rejoined the agreement on January 20, 2021, with the U.S. formally re-entering the pact on February 19, 2021.

• Impact on Global Climate Finance: The U.S. withdrawal is expected to significantly impact global climate finance, particularly the Green Climate Fund. During the first withdrawal, the termination of $3 billion in U.S. funding affected climate change research and reduced the likelihood of achieving Paris Agreement goals, according to wikipedia. The Guardian noted that by leaving Paris, the U.S. removes itself from efforts to help poorer nations transition away from fossil fuels, pushing climate finance goals further out of reach.

• Credibility and Diplomatic Implications: Experts from GIS Reports emphasized in August 2025 that exiting international agreements fundamentally diminishes a participant's credibility in global negotiations. The pattern of engagement and disengagement suggests that U.S. climate commitments are contingent on domestic political cycles rather than stable national policy, impacting trust in other international forums.

• Countries Not Party to the Agreement: With the U.S. withdrawal, it joins a small group of nations not participating in the Paris Agreement. While the provided article lists Iran, Libya, and Yemen, other sources like Wikipedia and Oreate AI Blog also mention Eritrea and North Korea as countries that have not ratified the agreement. These nations often have unique political or economic reasons for their non-participation.

• Broader Withdrawal from Climate Governance: Beyond the Paris Agreement, the Trump administration has also announced its intention to leave the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), under which the Paris Agreement was adopted, The Guardian reported. This dual withdrawal signifies a comprehensive disengagement from international climate governance, amounting to a "wholesale withdrawal," according to experts.

• Domestic Climate Action and State-Level Responses: Despite federal withdrawal, climate action within the U.S. is expected to continue at subnational levels. During the first withdrawal, several U.S. states formed the U.S. Climate Alliance to pursue Paris Agreement objectives independently, Wikipedia noted. This trend is anticipated to strengthen, with states, cities, and businesses leading efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change, illuminem reported.

• Economic and Environmental Consequences: The withdrawal is seen as a policy shift prioritizing fossil fuel production, potentially hampering global climate change mitigation efforts, according to the European Parliament. While market forces like cheaper renewables may still drive some emission reductions, the federal withdrawal removes a critical national target and could slow overall progress towards climate goals, as discussed by Climate Action Tracker in November 2019.