Statement on U.S. Withdrawal from UNFCCC

U.S. Retreat = Great Risk for All

Washington, D.C. – January 8, 2026 – The United States administration’s decision to withdraw from 66 international organizations, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and critical UN agencies and climate treaties, represents a profound retreat from global cooperation. Isolationism is a failed response to the defining challenges of our century; climate change, growing economic inequality and wealth concentration, and global health crises are existential threats that do not respect national borders and require more collaboration, not less. By abandoning these essential bodies, the administration is not only distancing itself from longstanding allies but is actively undermining the collective safety and health of people everywhere. This decision ignores the strategic reality of our world and jeopardizes the multilateral framework—which, despite its historical flaws and inequitable power dynamics, remains the only viable arena for collective action.

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True leadership requires staying at the table to protect the sanctity and dignity of all life, recognizing that our domestic wellbeing is inextricably linked to the flourishing of the global community. While we acknowledge that the existing international order has often been marred by hegemony and uneven influence, the path toward a more balanced and just world lies in active participation and reform, not in retreat. The Trump administration is walking away from the table of diplomacy, only to re-engage through the lens of conflict. Isolationism and militarism are two sides of the same coin: both reject the collective safety and human dignity that international bodies like the UNFCCC were set up to protect.

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Leaving the room does not solve these crises or fix these systems; it only ensures that the most vulnerable populations—both globally and within the United States—will pay the highest price for our absence. We fundamentally reject this isolationist path and call on people across the U.S. to demand that our government remains a partner in building a future where global agreements serve the needs of all, and where every life is valued and protected.

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Reactions from USCAN and its members:
Dr. Ife Kilimanjaro, Executive Director, U.S. Climate Action Network said:

“True leadership is defined by the courage to stay at the table, even when the conversations are difficult and the systems are flawed. By walking away, the administration is not just abandoning diplomacy; it is turning its back on the human reality that our lives and our futures are inextricably woven together. We stand for a vision of the world that honors the sanctity of every life—ensuring that the most marginalized, from our own neighborhoods in the U.S. to the most distant communities abroad, are protected by our collective action rather than sacrificed to a failed isolationism.”

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Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, Climate Action Network said:

“The US announced departure from the UNFCCC, IPCC and other UN bodies does not erase their historical responsibility in harming our planet and people and failing to provide the funds to support developing countries in handling the consequences of their reckless economic model. This announcement should be a signal to all Parties to the UNFCCC to tighten the rules of accountability and compliance, with consequences for non-compliance in the form of sanctioning mechanisms.”

Niranjali Amerasinghe, Executive Director, ActionAid USA said:

“The Trump administration’s intention to withdraw from the UNFCCC should be seen as part and parcel of the administration’s agenda to make the United States a rogue state: a government unbound by any international rules, and one that has the freedom (and, in the administration’s view, the right) to act however it wishes simply because it has the most power. The actions of this past week alone – from seizing the Venezuelan president to withdrawing from the UNFCCC – show that this administration has a callous disdain for world peace and climate justice. The people of the U.S. and the international community must come together to stop the Trump administration from dismantling the structures and tools we have fought for and won – imperfect though they may be – to advance climate justice and global justice.”

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Dr. Rachel Cleetus, Policy Director and Lead Economist for the Climate and Energy Program, Union of Concerned Scientists said:

“Withdrawal from the global climate convention will only serve to further isolate the United States and diminish its standing in the world following a spate of deplorable actions that have already sent our nation’s credibility plummeting, jeopardized ties with some of our closest historical allies, and made the world far more unsafe.”

Basav Sen, Climate Policy Director, Institute for Policy Studies said:

“In terms of responsibility for the global climate crisis, the U.S. is not just another one of the more than 190 countries in the world. It is the world’s largest cumulative greenhouse gas emitter, and the largest producer and exporter of oil and gas today. By walking away from the UNFCCC and the IPCC, the Trump regime is sending a clear message to the world that the U.S. refuses to take responsibility for its own actions. The reckless decision to leave the UNFCCC, IPCC, and several other global agreements and multilateral organizations comes less than a week after the illegal invasion of a sovereign nation and the abduction of its head of state. There needs to be a powerful collective international response to U.S. lawlessness.”

Marnese Jackson, Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition said:

" The withdrawal of the United States from the United Nations and its associated climate bodies, such as the UNFCCC and the IPCC, presents significant challenges to global building decarbonization. This action reduces U.S. leadership, funding, and technical expertise, which are essential for establishing international standards. Furthermore, such a move potentially diminishes global ambition, increases costs for developing nations, and undermines the consensus required for widespread building electrification and efficiency. Beyond the technical and environmental impacts, withdrawing from these international institutions compromises our ability to work in solidarity and mutuality. It is detrimental to the human rights and safety of citizens worldwide.