Trump seals withdrawal from Paris climate agreement

On the day of his inauguration, he signed a letter to be sent to the United Nations.

The agreement provides for a notice period of one year. Trump had already withdrawn the USA from the agreement during his first term of office because he sees it as a "rip-off" and a competitive disadvantage. However, the withdrawal only lasted a few months because his successor Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to the agreement. Almost all countries in the world are part of the agreement. Only Yemen, Iran and Libya have not signed the treaty.

A complete departure from the previous climate course

The withdrawal from the climate protection agreement is part of a decree with which Trump has ordered a complete departure from previous climate policy. It states that the USA will consider the withdrawal from the agreement and all associated obligations to be effective immediately after notifying the United Nations.

Trump went even further and instructed the US Mission to the UN and the State and Treasury Departments to "immediately" suspend or revoke all alleged US financial commitments under the Framework Convention on Climate Change. He also revoked the US international climate finance plan, which includes financial support for countries particularly affected by climate change. According to Trump, global warming does not exist and he repeatedly describes climate change as a "big hoax".

Framework Convention: climate change is man-made

The Framework Convention on Climate Change is a multilateral agreement that forms the basis for the global climate conferences at which the Paris Agreement was negotiated. In it, the parties recognize that climate change is man-made and that human activities exacerbate global warming, which in turn leads to dangers for ecosystems and thus also for humanity.

It is also a commitment to international cooperation in order to take measures to slow down this development, and the developed countries have a special responsibility in this regard. This includes financial support for poorer countries so that they can also meet their obligations and climate targets. The aim of the Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous interference with the climate system.

Parties are required to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, report on their emissions and undergo international verification. However, the US Congress points out that the obligations associated with the agreement, such as support for poorer, lower-income countries, are not enforceable.