President Trump signed an executive order on January 20, 2025, initiating the United States' second withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the 2015 international accord committing nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 1.5–2°C above pre-industrial levels. The withdrawal, which takes approximately one year to take legal effect, was confirmed by Fox News, NPR, CNN, the BBC, and the State Department.
This is the second U.S. withdrawal from Paris. Trump first withdrew in 2017; President Biden re-entered the agreement on his first day in office in 2021, and Trump has now withdrawn again on his first day in 2025. The U.S. is the world's second largest greenhouse gas emitter after China, responsible for approximately 14% of global emissions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio certified the withdrawal to the United Nations on January 21, 2025. European leaders issued statements calling the decision 'deeply disappointing.' UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was a 'setback' but added that 'the climate crisis will not wait.' China, the EU, and India said they remained committed to the agreement.
NPR, CNN, and climate scientists said the withdrawal would leave the U.S. without a framework for international climate commitments and could undermine global cooperation. Fox News and the Daily Wire framed the decision as protecting American manufacturing jobs, reducing energy costs, and rejecting what they described as an agreement that disadvantaged the U.S. while allowing China and India to increase emissions.
Left-Leaning Emphasis
- NPR and CNN said the withdrawal 'isolated the U.S. from its allies' and undermined global climate targets.
- Climate scientists told NPR that U.S. exit reduces pressure on all countries to meet Paris commitments.
- Left outlets noted the U.S. had pledged to cut emissions 50-52% from 2005 levels by 2030 — that target is now abandoned.
Right-Leaning Emphasis
- Fox News framed withdrawal as ending 'a bad deal' that required the U.S. to cut emissions while China could increase them until 2030.
- Daily Wire emphasized economic benefits: preserving manufacturing jobs, lowering energy costs, prioritizing 'energy dominance.'
- Right outlets quoted Trump: 'We're going to be energy dominant again.'