US formally exits Paris Agreement on climate change for second time

The United States has formally withdrawn from the Paris Agreement on climate change for the second time, completing its exit from the landmark international accord, as reported by foreign media.

The move follows Donald Trump’s return to the presidency and a decree he signed in January 2025 notifying the United Nations of Washington’s intention to leave the treaty. Under the rules of the agreement, withdrawal becomes effective one year after such notification, making January 27 2026, the official date of departure. Even before the formal exit, the US had largely stepped back from international climate diplomacy, including its absence from major negotiations such as the COP30 summit held in Belém last November.

The withdrawal carries wider implications for global climate cooperation. Alongside leaving the Paris Agreement, the United States has announced its exit from 66 international organisations, 31 of them affiliated with the United Nations. Among these is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which underpins all major global climate treaties. Trump has defended the decisions by arguing that these institutions “no longer serve American interests.”

According to research by Climate Action Tracker — a joint initiative of Climate Analytics and the NewClimate Institute — the US withdrawal alone is expected to contribute an additional 0.1°C to global warming. Worldwide climate policies are already projected to push global temperatures up by about 2.6°C by the end of the century, well above internationally agreed limits.

Despite Washington’s departure, almost all countries remain parties to the Paris Agreement. This includes governments led by figures politically aligned with Trump, such as Argentina under President Javier Milei. While international climate efforts continue to face challenges related to financing, relations between developed and developing nations, and geopolitical tensions, global cooperation has shown resilience, as reflected in continued high-level engagement at gatherings such as COP30.

The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015 at the COP21 climate conference in Paris by 196 countries and the European Union, and entered into force in November 2016 as a legally binding international treaty.

Its central objective is to keep the increase in global average temperatures well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while striving to limit warming to 1.5°C.

By Tamilla Hasanova