US will officially exit Paris climate deal January 2026, says UN

The United Nations (UN) says it has officially received request about US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.

On January 20, US President Donald Trump pulled his nation from the Paris climate agreement for a second time.

The country had in April 22, 2016, joined other countries to sign the historic deal to keep temperature below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

During his first tenure, Trump withdrew the US from the agreement, which only took effect on November 4, 2020, before his successor Joe Biden returned the country to the accord on February 19, 2021.

Speaking on Tuesday at a press briefing in New York, Stéphane Dujarric, the UN spokesperson, said US’ second exit will take effect on January 27, 2026.

Dujarric said Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, has received an official notification from the country over its intention to withdraw from the deal.

He noted that US exit would not slow down the UN’s efforts to mitigate climate change.

“We reaffirm our commitment to the Paris Agreement and to support all effective efforts to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees celsius,” Dujarric said.

Micheal Bloomberg, the UN special envoy on climate ambition and solutions and founder of Bloomberg, has pledged to fund US obligation under the Paris agreement.

This would be the second time Bloomberg will be stepping in to plug the void left by the US. 

During Trump’s first term, Bloomberg launched ‘America’s Pledge’ which aims to track and report non-federal climate commitments to meet Paris agreement goals.

He also supports initiatives like ‘America Is All In’, to empower states, cities, and businesses to meet ambitious emission targets.