Trump’s protectionist and isolationist agenda has spawned a global trade war, fractured long standing alliances, caused security unrest, and led to the U.S.’s reversal of its climate obligations as the world’s largest historical contributor of greenhouse gases. The United States is no longer behaving in the manner of a traditional superpower, and instead under the direction of Trump’s haphazard policies, is behaving irresponsibly both strategically and environmentally.
For the second time, Trump has withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement. During Trump’s first term the US withdrew in November of 2019, and officially left in November of 2020 after the standardised yearlong exit protocol, but promptly rejoined in just under four months under the Biden administration in February of 2021. This most recent withdrawal is much more alarming as the UN was notified on January 20th 2025, meaning Trump will have three years left in office to backtrack on the US’s climate accord, and this is only if the US abides by the one year exit procedure. Trump pulled out of the agreement on his inauguration day, and almost as if it were a climate omen, the Southern United States saw record snowfall. However, this unusual event doesn’t appear to have changed the minds of any climate skeptics in the government.
The Paris Agreement is a multilateral international treaty that aims to limit global warming to below 2 degrees celsius, and ideally no higher than 1.5 degrees celsius above pre industrial levels. The accord was adopted in 2015 as a way to hold countries accountable through transparent reporting of their greenhouse gas emissions as well as the way in which they plan to reduce their emissions. Should the earth surpass the 1.5 degree threshold the probability of climate catastrophes are likely to increase and worsen, unleashing violent weather patterns like droughts, floods, rising sea levels and storms. Only this past year Los Angeles experienced lethal wildfires while North Carolina was devastated by Hurricane Helene.
The parties that are committed to the agreement are meant to produce regular reports of their emissions and the way in which they are mitigating further emissions through the implementation of clean energy and the reduction in fossil fuel use. The US leaving the Paris Agreement is a turning point in US climate policy, as this administration has continued to reverse its climate commitments. This includes cancelling a $4bn to the Green Climate fund, halting US scientists participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as well as withdrawing from the UN climate damage fund, which was set up to help developing nations who are disproportionately affected by climate change. The US promised to pledge $17.5m to fund; however, it is unclear whether they will now fulfill this commitment.
The US is losing out on shaping the globe’s transition to clean energy. The Trump administration has proven to be unreliable and disinterested in climate change, robbing a country that might very well have ushered in a new era of climate finance and renewable technology.
The US’s rollback on climate action has left a large gap to be filled. Many in the international community will turn to China as an alternative. China is currently the largest emitter of greenhouse gases as well as the largest investor in renewable energy, making it a logical choice to lead the way on climate action. The EU, UK, India, Brazil and South Africa will also have to assume responsibility now that the US has stepped down.
Despite Trump’s efforts to thwart all climate action and activism in the United States, individual states and private climate funders are attempting to bridge the gap. Xi Jinping met with California’s governor Jerry Brown to sign an agreement for China and California to collaborate on jointly reducing emissions. Though this agreement is not binding it demonstrates California’s refusal to be excluded from the debate. American businessman and politician, Michael Bloomberg, vouched to step up to ensure the US meets its obligations to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, compensating for the gap left after Trump revoked all financial commitments to the fund.
Cooperation is vital to ensure the effects of climate change are minimised. Trump’s denial of climate change will harm the US and, unfortunately, disproportionately affect countries that have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions. When it was first conceived, the Paris Agreement was groundbreaking in securing global consensus, committing countries to combat climate change and reduce emissions, with the exceptions of Iran, Libya, Yemen, and now, sadly, the US. Trump’s withdrawal not only represents a significant setback for climate action but also further isolates the US on the global stage, undermining its leadership role and jeopardizing the collective efforts of the international community.
Bibliography:
Abnett , K. and Furness, V. (2025) United States quits board of UN Climate Damage Fund, letter shows | reuters, Reuters. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/united-states-quits-board-un-climate-damage-fund-letter-shows-2025-03-07/ (Accessed: 17 March 2025).
Associated Press (2017) China and California sign deal to work on climate change without trump, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/07/china-and-california-sign-deal-to-work-on-climate-change-without-trump (Accessed: 17 March 2025).
Collins, N. (2025) Historic January 2025 snowstorm in the southern U.S., NOAA Climate.gov. Available at: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/historic-january-2025-snowstorm-southern-us#:~:text=Texas%20saw%20the%20first%20snowflakes,began%20its%20records%20in%201901. (Accessed: 17 March 2025).
Farand, C. (2025) Climate crisis: US exit from Paris Agreement deals blow to international cooperation, International Bar Association. Available at: https://www.ibanet.org/Climate-crisis-US-exit-from-Paris-Agreement-deals-blow-to-international-cooperation (Accessed: 17 March 2025).
Jorge , G. (2025) The US pullout from the climate loss and Damage Fund will prove costlier in the Long Run, Atlantic Council. Available at: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/us-pullout-from-the-climate-loss-and-damage-fund-will-prove-costlier/ (Accessed: 17 March 2025).
Leland, A. (2025) Abandoning the Paris Agreement Harms U.S. credibility and competitiveness in the global economy, Environmental Defense Fund. Available at: https://www.edf.org/media/abandoning-paris-agreement-harms-us-credibility-and-competitiveness-global-economy (Accessed: 17 March 2025).
Pullins, T. and Knijnenburg, S. (2017) US Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement: Impact and Next Steps. White & Case LLP. Available at: https://www.whitecase.com/insight-alert/us-withdrawal-paris-agreement-impact-and-next-steps (Accessed 17 March 2025).
Schipani, A. and Pooler, M. (2025) Donald Trump, tariffs and wars drain funds from Climate Action, warns Brazil, Financial Times. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/6a5b1892-55c3-42b7-a275-53dd0b9fa9f5?accessToken=zwAGMIwcxKzwkc9qWxiSVcNCt9OidVPdC5-p9Q.MEQCIDsJJ1Pk2VMr4ZYJ1Gdq43xDsl_hcoqbU19AK9i_N1qfAiA1MVEshrWSk9-e6dsQNKGh4vFwuWCh5SvW5OaSrUfYPw&sharetype=gift&token=bdcb4cfc-6511-49f1-be38-9e2cc32b4ae1 (Accessed: 17 March 2025).