The United States has officially left the Paris climate agreement for the second time, a move that took effect on January 27, 2026. The White House says the step is part of a wider effort to pull the United States back from international bodies it sees as not serving American interests.
That action makes the United States the only country ever to have withdrawn from the Paris deal. It now sits with a small group of nations not party to the accord, including Iran, Libya and Yemen, a fact that has startled allies and pleased critics who call global climate deals unfair to American workers.
The Paris agreement asks countries to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 C and to keep increases well below 2 C. The pact is the main global plan for cutting emissions and for helping poor countries cope with climate harms. Scientists and diplomats say pulling the second largest historical emitter out of that framework weakens the global push to meet those goals.
Critics were swift. βThe US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement sets a disturbing precedent that seeks to instigate a race to the bottom, and, along with its withdrawal from other major global climate pacts, aims to dismantle the global system of cooperation on climate action,β said Marta Schaaf, Amnesty Internationalβs Programme Director for Climate.
She added a second warning in plain terms. “The US is one of several powerful anti-climate actors, but as an influential superpower, this decision, along with acts of coercion and bullying of other countries and powerful actors to double down on fossil fuels, causes particular harm and threatens to reverse more than a decade of global climate progress under the agreement.”
Other voices painted a picture of resistance at home. βUS-based climate advocates and activists now find themselves on the frontlines of a fight with implications for current and future generations everywhere… Ceding ground now risks losing it for years. Neither the planet nor the people living on the frontlines of proliferating unnatural disasters have that much time,β she added.
California Governor Gavin Newsom responded with a mix of scorn and resolve. “As climate disasters cost Americans trillions, Trumpβs answer is to wave the white flag. California wonβt retreat. Weβll keep working with our partners around the world to cut pollution, create jobs, and lead the clean energy economy that the Trump administration is too weak to fight for.”
The exit comes at a complicated time for energy markets. Renewable power has been growing fast around the world, with agencies reporting that more than 90% of new power capacity additions in recent years came from clean sources like solar and wind. That makes Washingtonβs move all the more symbolic, even if markets and some states keep pushing toward cleaner energy.
Beyond Paris, the administration has signaled it will leave the United Nations climate framework and other international bodies that guide climate action and finance. That will reduce US influence in negotiations and in funds meant to help poor nations adapt to faster warming. Aid groups say the changes could slow support for vulnerable countries.
Featured image via YouTube screengrab
