The Climate Accord
As of 2023, the Paris Climate Accord had 194 countries and the European Union sign an agreement to combat climate change. This includes nearly every member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The accord went into force on November 4, 2016, after 55 countries, representing at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions, ratified the agreement.
The key provisions include limiting global warming to below 2°C. In addition, nations will pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C, recognizing this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of global warming.
The agreement requires that each country submits its own climate action plan (Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)) outlining how it will reduce emissions. These plans are not legally binding, but countries are expected to update and strengthen them every 5 years. Countries must report regularly on emissions and progress toward their NDCs. Every 5 years a composite of all reports will be used to assess collective progress.
Developed countries are expected to provide financial support to developing nations, to help them mitigate and adapt to climate change. The goal is to mobilize $100 billion for this purpose annually by 2025.
Nations are expected to promote the development and transfer of clean technologies. This includes support for capacity-building in vulnerable and developing countries. These goals should strengthen a country’s ability to adapt to climate impacts and build resilience.
Environmental Commitments by the Major Players The United States
While the United States had been a major partner in the agreement, in 2020, President Trump pulled the US out of the agreement during his first term. During his presidency, President Biden renewed America’s commitment. However, in 2025, under re-elected President Trump, the US again withdrew from the agreement. The US had previously committed to the following goals:
• Reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 50–52% below 2005 levels by the year 2030.
• Focus on clean energy transition, electric vehicle expansion, methane reduction, and carbon capture.
• Commit to international climate finance. Political shifts have affected consistency; withdrawal in 2020 and re-entry in 2021 created uncertainty.
China
• Committed to peak CO₂ emissions before the year 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
• They will achieve this by heavy investment in renewables, nuclear energy, and electric vehicles.
• The focus will be more on domestic action than international finance.
The European Union
• Pledges to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% below 1990 levels by the year 2030.
• They hope to achieve this goal by passing legally binding climate laws, carbon pricing via the EU Emissions Trading System, and aggressive renewable energy targets.
• The EU is seen as a strong contributor to climate finance and technology transfer.
America’s Current Position
The Trump administration is strongly opposed to the goals of the Paris Climate Accord. Given this opposition, the current Trump administration has taken a series of aggressive steps that have significantly destabilized the U.S. commitment— both symbolically and substantively.
Under Executive Order 14162 (January 2025), President Trump directed the U.S. Ambassador to the UN to initiate withdrawal from the Paris Agreement for the second time. Unlike the original withdrawal in 2020, this order claimed the withdrawal would be effective immediately, sidestepping the one-year notice period outlined in Article 28 of the agreement. This move has isolated the U.S. from the 194 nations working to limit global warming, undermining collective climate efforts. The U.S. also backed away from financial commitments to help vulnerable nations cope with climate impacts.
On the domestic front, President Trump declared an emergency to boost fossil fuel production, calling for expanded drilling on federal lands and waters. He has also slashed funding for renewable energy projects, and climate-focused offices and programs were dismantled. The administration is also attempting to revoke the EPA’s 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health, which is the legal basis for regulating emissions. The administration’s policies mirror the Project 2025 agenda, which calls climate change a hoax and prioritizes fossil fuel expansion over mitigation.
Protections for 58 million acres of national forests were removed, opening them to road construction and timber harvesting. New standards for vehicle emissions adopted under Biden were reversed.
Conclusion
These actions not only erode the U.S.'s credibility in global climate negotiations but also risk long-term setbacks in emissions reductions and environmental health. If sustained, experts warn it could take a generation or more to repair the damage.
