 And its Impact on the Voluntary Carbon Market
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders on energy and environmental topics that included initiating a US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords, a move consistent with his previous term’s policy and a central promise of his campaign.
This order was an anticipated “day one†action, as President Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement during his first term and clearly stated his intention to repeat the action upon taking office again. The executive order references Trump’s distaste for international agreements that do not properly balance domestic economic and energy-sector development with environmental goals.
To formally pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, the Trump administration will need to formally submit a withdrawal letter to the United Nations, which administers the pact. The withdrawal would become official one year after the submission. The formal withdrawal of the United States and subsequent changes to agreements under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change cannot be transmitted to the United Nations until President Trump’s nominee to be US Ambassador to the UN, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), is confirmed by the Senate. She appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on January 21, 2025, for a confirmation hearing, and the Senate is expected to vote on her confirmation this week.
