- Trump reaffirms plan to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord.
- US declares a “national energy emergency” to boost oil and gas production.
- 2024 marks the first year global temperatures rose over 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
President Donald Trump has reiterated his commitment to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, a cornerstone of global efforts to combat rising temperatures.
This marks the second attempt by Trump to exit the accord, following a similar move in 2017 during his first administration. That withdrawal was reversed on President Joe Biden’s first day in office in 2021.
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Under international rules, the US will need to wait one year before its exit from the pact becomes official. Meanwhile, the White House has declared a “national energy emergency,” unveiling a series of measures aimed at reversing climate regulations and ramping up domestic oil and gas production.
The decision comes in the wake of a significant climate milestone, as global temperatures in 2024 surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time in a calendar year. This threshold, defined in the Paris agreement, represents a point at which the impacts of global warming are expected to become increasingly severe and dangerous.
Though not a legally binding treaty, the Paris agreement is the primary framework for international collaboration to mitigate climate change.
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President Trump’s disdain for this cooperative approach echoes his 2017 statement that he was elected to “represent the people of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”
Once the withdrawal is finalized, the United States will join a small group of nations—currently including Iran, Yemen, and Libya—standing outside the agreement, which was originally signed a decade ago in the French capital.
