The United States has officially withdrawn from the Paris Agreement on climate change, completing a yearlong exit process that removes the country from the landmark global pact aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.
The withdrawal took effect on Jan. 27, 2026, exactly one year after the U.S. government submitted its formal notice to the United Nations, as required under the agreement’s withdrawal clause.
Withdrawal becomes legally effective after UN notice
The United States submitted its Depositary Notification of withdrawal to the United Nations on Jan. 27, 2025, triggering the one-year waiting period set out in Article 28 of the Paris Agreement.
The notification was filed with the U.N. Secretary-General in his role as treaty depositary.
Under the treaty, any party may withdraw after three years of participation, with the exit taking effect one year after written notice is received.
The U.N. confirmed receipt of the U.S. notification shortly after it was submitted.
Executive order set the withdrawal process in motion
The withdrawal process began with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2025, directing the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to notify the Secretary-General of the country’s intent to exit the Paris Agreement.
The order argued that international environmental agreements should not constrain U.S. economic policy or domestic energy production.
It marked a reversal of climate policy under the previous administration, which had rejoined the agreement in 2021.
What changes for the United States after exit
With the withdrawal now effective, the United States is no longer bound by Paris Agreement obligations, including requirements to submit updated emissions reduction targets, known as nationally determined contributions, or to participate in the agreement’s transparency and review mechanisms.
Legal and policy analysts note that the agreement imposes no enforcement penalties for withdrawal, and participation is voluntary beyond reporting and target-setting commitments.
U.S. remains party to broader UN climate treaty
The withdrawal does not remove the United States from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the broader climate treaty adopted in 1992 and ratified by the U.S. Senate.
That framework remains the legal foundation for global climate negotiations.
As a result, the United States may still attend certain climate discussions under the UN system, though it no longer participates in the Paris Agreement’s governance structure or collective goal-setting process.
A second U.S. departure from the Paris pact
This marks the second time the United States has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement.
The country first joined in 2016, exited in 2020 during Trump’s first term, and rejoined in 2021 under President Joe Biden.
The repeated shifts have drawn criticism from allies who say the reversals weaken trust in long-term U.S. commitments within international agreements.
