Trump withdraws from key climate treaty

Posted: 16th January 2026

Donald Trump has taken further steps to remove the US from the global effort to combat climate change. Last week the president withdrew the US from 66 international treaties and groups that he described as a “waste of taxpayer dollars”. Many of the bodies impacted are aimed at reducing global warming, while others are focused on global development, gender equality and conflict.

Almost half of the 66 organisations are connected to the UN, including the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a the leading treaty in worldwide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The US has also pulled its support for the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading authority on climate science. Sources within the organisation told the BBC they were worried about the impact of America’s withdrawal on US scientists who are working on upcoming IPCC studies.

Some legal experts believe Trump does not have the authority to withdraw the US from the UNFCCC and the move may therefore have been illegal, the Guardian reported this week.