United States becomes the only nation to foolishly walk away from the U.N. climate change treaty
The Trump Administration cedes global leadership position and pulls the U.S. out of 66 key international organizations
In another embarrassment to the United States on the world stage, the Trump Administration is continuing its policy of blatantly lying to the American people about the danger of climate change as it attempts to pull the U.S. from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a foundational treaty to combat the impacts of global warming and climate change. The UNFCCC was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1992—with the U.S. joining every other country in the world as a party, to make efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the environment. The Trump Administration stating that the UNFCCC is “contrary to the interests of the United States” is horrifying, objectively false, and shortsighted.
The U.S. is not just abandoning our climate obligations. It is ceding leadership and influence over a critical issue to the rest of the world, effectively burying our head in the sand while other countries tackle and prosper from climate mitigation and adaptation solutions.
The announcement from the White House states the removal of the United States from 35 non-UN organizations and 31 UN entities, including important climate and environmental groups including:
- 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact
- Commission for Environmental Cooperation
- Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
- International Energy Forum
- International Renewable Energy Agency
- International Solar Alliance
- International Tropical Timber Organization
- International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
- Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
- UN Alliance of Civilizations
- UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
- UN Energy
- UN Oceans
- UN Water
The health of our planet and the sustainability of our food, water, and ecosystems depend on the cooperation of every country. Our fear is that we may never recover from turning our backs on protecting the environment in the 21st century.