In a sweeping move that could reshape the U.S. role on the world stage, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States is withdrawing from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the foundational treaty behind all major international climate agreements.
The White House memorandum lists a total of 66 global organizations and treaties—nearly half affiliated with the United Nations—as “contrary to the interests of the United States.” Among them are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Renewable Energy Agency, UN Oceans, and UN Water.
Trump, who has strongly supported domestic fossil fuel industries, has repeatedly dismissed climate science, calling the consensus on global warming a “hoax.” He has previously exited the Paris Agreement, a move later reversed by his successor, President Joe Biden. Legal experts warn that leaving the parent UNFCCC treaty could trigger additional legal challenges, as the U.S. Constitution requires a two-thirds Senate vote to enter treaties but does not explicitly address withdrawal.
“Pulling out of the UNFCCC is a whole order of magnitude different from pulling out of the Paris Agreement,” said Jean Su, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We are exploring legal options to challenge this unilateral action.”
Global reactions have been swift. Li Shuo of the Asia Society Policy Institute called the withdrawal “a heavy blow to global climate action,” warning that it threatens decades of consensus-building. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the move as “surrendering America’s leadership on the world stage” and said it creates a vacuum that other global powers, including China, are poised to exploit.
The White House memorandum also directs U.S. withdrawal from other UN bodies, including UNESCO, the UN Population Fund, and UN Women, citing concerns that these organizations promote what Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as “progressive ideology” that constrains American sovereignty.
This latest action continues a broader pattern of U.S. disengagement from international organizations under Trump, including the World Health Organization, while sharply cutting foreign aid to multiple UN agencies. Critics warn the move could weaken the country’s influence in global governance at a time when cooperation on climate and humanitarian issues is increasingly urgent.
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