In his first hours back in the White Housethe president donald trump signed an executive order aimed at withdrawing the United States – for the second time – from the 2015 Paris Agreementas the international pact is known that lays the foundations to mitigate the long-term harmful effects of the climate changemainly through the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
In the executive order, titled “Putting America first in international environmental agreements”Trump decreed that initiatives such as the climate treaty “do not reflect our country’s values or contributions to the pursuit of economic and environmental goals.”
“Furthermore, these agreements divert American taxpayer money to countries that do not require or deserve financial assistance in the interest of the American people.”he elaborated in the executive order, one of more than 40 that he signed on the first day of his second presidential term. According to the decree, the representation of the United States in the United Nations Organization (UN) – to whom Trump has appointed the congresswoman as ambassador Elise Stefanik– must “immediately submit formal written notification of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement” to the organization’s general secretariat.
In 2017, after being sworn into office for the first time, Trump began efforts to withdraw the United States from the main international climate agreement – signed by 196 countries –, an action that was later reversed by the administration of Joe Biden.
Below are some key details of the Paris Agreement:
- Adopted on December 12, 2015, in Paris, by 196 countries. It came into force on November 4, 2016.
- It seeks to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2050.
- To limit increases in global temperature, efforts are made to reduce GHG emissions associated, above all, with the use of fossil fuels in sectors such as transportation and energy generation.
- The countries had to present, in 2020, their respective plans to contribute to GHG reductions.
- As part of the treaty, the most economically powerful countries must assist the most vulnerable nations to promote policies aimed at combating global warming, with the goal of reaching annual contributions of $100 billion.
- According to the UN, in 2020, the contribution of developed countries amounted to $83.8 billion, still below the goal.
- In late 2024, the Biden administration announced that the United States had contributed $11 billion to the fight against climate change.
- According to the UN, net zero emissions alternatives are economically competitive in sectors that account for 25% of total emissions, a proportion that is anticipated to increase to 70% by 2030.