The withdrawal takes one year from the formal notification by Washington to the United Nations for the decision to take effect.

The Paris Agreement, from which President Donald Trump has signed the United States’ withdrawal, is an international treaty on climate change, legally binding, adopted in December 2015 by nearly 200 countries to limit global warming to well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.

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The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to leave the agreement, formalized through an executive order just hours after his inauguration, did not come as a surprise to many, as the measure had been previously announced.

However, the president’s swift action to confirm the withdrawal shortly after taking office suggests that he will act quickly to revise the country’s energy and climate policy from his new position.

In fact, Trump has already announced measures that diverge from global climate action and cast a shadow over environmental efforts with statements favoring fossil fuels and withdrawing support for green initiatives undertaken by the previous Biden Administration.

The withdrawal will not be implemented automatically, as it technically takes one year from the formal notification by the U.S. to the United Nations for the decision to take effect. This is not the first time the U.S. has exited the Paris Agreement; it did so previously during Trump’s earlier term as president.

What Is the Goal of the Paris Agreement?

Since the Kyoto Protocol came into effect in February 2005, it became evident that it was necessary to work on developing a global climate regime to combat climate change that included all countries in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Paris Agreement marked a milestone in the commitment of nations to global action in mitigating global warming by agreeing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to achieve a climate-neutral planet by mid-century.

For the first time, the agreement established a legally binding commitment for all countries to unite in a common cause, taking ambitious steps to combat climate change and adapt to its effects. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels.

From July 2023 to December 2024, every month except July of the previous year exceeded the 1.5°C threshold, although this does not mean that the Paris Agreement’s goal has already been violated, as temperatures must surpass the 1850–1900 baseline for at least a decade for this to occur.

What Does the U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement Mean?

The United States ranks among the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, second only to China, the leading polluter. Therefore, Trump’s decision to reverse course on the Paris Agreement raises questions about global climate action and the role of international climate summits.

At the annual global climate conferences held in different countries, known as COPs, top political leaders and representatives from nearly 200 nations gather to establish commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Negotiations are multilateral, balancing global needs with individual countries’ efforts to achieve climate goals. These discussions often generate friction between more or less polluting nations and those with varying levels of resources.

This model of global negotiations, in which the EU often acts as a driving force, tends to pit countries from the Global North and Global South against one another regarding emission reduction commitments.

Three Decades of COP Climate Summits

At the latest COP, the 29th, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, ahead of the one in Brazil, which will mark three decades of these global climate summits, progress was made on financing issues, with a commitment to approve a $300 billion fund to support climate action in the Global South.

The next United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) will take place in Brazil, presenting a new opportunity to strengthen commitments and ensure that climate action remains at the core of global policies, paving the way toward a green and sustainable future.

Every five years—next in 2025—all countries must submit and maintain their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), or climate action plans, which must include greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

Additionally, all nations must implement national policies and measures to achieve these targets. The Paris Agreement recognizes the importance of gradually increasing ambition with increasingly ambitious goals.

It also highlights the role of ecosystems, particularly forests, as carbon sinks, explicitly including them in the agreement, and acknowledges the potential use of market mechanisms to meet the objectives set by countries.

teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE

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