Executive Branch Foreign Relations & International Law

Trump Signs Order on International Environmental Agreements

Eugenia Lostri
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 11:10 AM
The order withdraws the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, joining Iran, Libya, and Yemen as the only countries not party to the treaty.
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On Jan. 20 President Trump issued the executive order “Putting America First In International Environmental Agreements” directing the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to:

  1. submit formal written notification of the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement
  2. submit written formal notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, or any relevant party, of the United States’ withdrawal from any agreement, pact, accord, or similar commitment made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
  3. cease or revoke any purported financial commitment made by the United States under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in collaboration with the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury
  4. Immediately after completing the previous tasks, the US Ambassador to the UN, in collaboration with the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasure, shall certify a report to the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs describing in detail any further action required to achieve the policy objectives

The order also intends to immediately revoke and rescind the U.S. International Climate Finance Plan, and gives the Office of Management and Budget 10 days to issue guidance for the rescission of frozen funds.

It also directs the heads of departments or agencies that play a role in international energy agreements to “prioritize economic efficiency, the promotion of American prosperity, consumer choice, and fiscal restraint in all foreign engagements that concern energy policy.”

You can read the order here or below:

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Eugenia Lostri

Eugenia Lostri

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Eugenia Lostri is a Senior Editor at Lawfare. Prior to joining Lawfare, she was an Associate Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She also worked for the Argentinian Secretariat for Strategic Affairs, and the City of Buenos Aires’ Undersecretary for International and Institutional Relations. She holds a law degree from the Universidad Católica Argentina, and an LLM in International Law from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

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