Jakarta – Just hours after being sworn in for his second term, on January 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The action underscores Trump’s long-standing scepticism of international climate agreements and his emphasis on prioritising national sovereignty.
“The United States Ambassador to the United Nations shall immediately submit formal written notification of the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,” the executive order stated. “The notice shall be submitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Depositary of the Agreement, attached as Appendix A. The United States will consider its withdrawal from the Agreement and any attendant obligations to be effective immediately upon this provision of notification.”
This marks the second time Trump has acted to remove the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. In 2017, he initially announced the withdrawal, describing it as “a reassertion of America’s sovereignty” and claiming, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”
Critics have condemned the decision as a step backwards in global climate efforts, while Trump supporters praise it as a move to protect American jobs and industries from burdensome environmental regulations.
While the Trump administration moves to distance the U.S. from international climate commitments, California is battling one of its worst wildfire seasons. The Palisades Fire in Los Angeles remains only 59% contained as of Monday morning, having scorched more than 23,713 acres, according to local officials. So far, 6,051 structures have been confirmed destroyed, with an additional 788 reported damaged. These figures are expected to rise as assessments continue. The human toll is equally tragic, with ten lives lost so far, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times.
Authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant as high winds and dry conditions threaten to spread the blaze further. Firefighters across the region have been mobilised to protect the fire and lives and property.
Environmental activists argue that Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Agreement, coupled with the unfolding crisis in California, underscores the urgency of addressing climate change. The Paris Agreement, signed by nearly 200 nations in 2015, aims to limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C. (nsh)
