Key Takeaways
- The United States will withdraw from over 60 international collaborations, including treaties and organizations with the United Nations on climate change and the oceans.
- The withdrawal includes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
- The decision is seen as a strategic blunder that will harm U.S. residents and American companies, and will isolate the United States and diminish its standing in the world.
- The withdrawal is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to slash funding for the U.N. and cease collaborations with its various agencies.
- The move is expected to cost American communities and businesses economic ground as other countries take advantage of the "booming clean-energy economy".
Introduction to the Withdrawal
The United States has announced its decision to withdraw from over 60 international collaborations, including treaties and organizations with the United Nations on climate change and the oceans. This decision, announced by President Donald Trump in a memo on January 7, 2026, includes the withdrawal from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The memo states that these organizations are "contrary to the interests of the United States" and that the withdrawals will "end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities that advance globalist agendas over U.S. priorities".
The Impact on Climate Change Efforts
The withdrawal from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is particularly significant, as it was the first international treaty aimed at addressing climate change. The treaty, which was ratified by the U.S. Senate and signed by former President George H. W. Bush in 1992, committed countries to inventories of all sources and sinks of greenhouse gases and to establish national climate change programs. The United States will now be the only nation in the world that is no longer a party to the framework, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. This move is seen as a major setback for global efforts to address climate change, and is expected to harm U.S. residents and American companies.
Reactions to the Withdrawal
The decision to withdraw from the international collaborations on climate change and the oceans has been widely criticized by major organizations and climate scientists. David Widawsky, director of WRI US, the World Resources Institute in the United States, called the withdrawal "a strategic blunder that gives away American advantage for nothing in return". Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist for the Union of Concerned Scientists climate and energy program, said that the withdrawal is "a new low" from the administration and "another sign that this authoritarian, anti-science administration is determined to sacrifice people’s well-being and destabilize global cooperation". The withdrawal is expected to cost American communities and businesses economic ground as other countries take advantage of the "booming clean-energy economy".
Broader Implications of the Withdrawal
The withdrawal from the international collaborations on climate change and the oceans is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to slash funding for the U.N. and cease collaborations with its various agencies. Since Trump’s inauguration, the administration has worked to reduce funding for the U.N. and has announced plans to leave the World Health Organization. The administration has also ceased collaborations with the U.N.’s Human Rights Council and its cultural agency, UNESCO. This move is expected to isolate the United States and diminish its standing in the world, and will likely have significant implications for global cooperation on a range of issues, including climate change, human rights, and global health.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the United States’ decision to withdraw from over 60 international collaborations, including treaties and organizations with the United Nations on climate change and the oceans, is a significant move that will have far-reaching implications for global efforts to address climate change and other pressing issues. The withdrawal is seen as a strategic blunder that will harm U.S. residents and American companies, and will isolate the United States and diminish its standing in the world. As the world continues to grapple with the challenges of climate change, it is imperative that countries work together to address this global problem, and the United States’ withdrawal from these international collaborations is a major setback for these efforts.
