State Department Issues Memo Launching Formal Withdrawal From Paris Climate Accords
The State Department began withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement following President Donald Trump's executive action, according to an internal staff memo issued Tuesday and reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
The memo, one of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's first actions in the role, instructed the agency's mission to the United Nations to initiate the withdrawal immediately. It included a detailed explanation of the action—emphasizing that the agreement restricted American energy production—which it said diplomats and administration officials could draw upon when addressing other nations or participating in international discussions.
"President Trump is committed to pursuing an American First policy agenda," the memo reads. "The Paris Agreement prompted restrictions on America's ability to harvest vast natural resources and constraints on the American economy through oppressive domestic regulations."
"This action is in keeping with the United States' intention to become the world's most dominant energy producer, cut costly and burdensome regulations, and unleash the American economy," it adds.
The memo included three additional points explaining the action: Trump made a commitment to put America first and withdraw from global pacts that are a "bad deal" for Americans, the Paris Agreement restricts domestic energy production and harms businesses, and it prevents the United States from asserting itself as the world's leading energy producer.
The move marks a stark departure from the Biden administration's climate agenda, which prioritized international agreements that shut down fossil fuel production and bolstered green energy. But Trump campaigned on a promise to tap America's energy resources and "drill, baby, drill"—policies that fly in the face of those set by global climate agreements.
"I'm immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris climate Accord ripoff," Trump remarked Monday. "The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity."
The action may also signal that Trump and Rubio will overhaul, or even do away with, the State Department's Office of the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, the office that Biden created and appointed John Kerry to lead. In that role, Kerry promoted the Paris Agreement and entered a series of additional global climate pacts.
The United States entered the Paris Agreement during a United Nations climate conference in 2015 under the Obama administration. Trump then withdrew the nation from the agreement in 2017 during his first administration, a move that former president Joe Biden reversed on his first day in office in 2021.
The agreement, which is not legally binding, includes aggressive emissions reduction targets for all nations that sign on. Experts have argued those targets hamper American industry and energy security.
"The Secretary-General remains confident that cities, states and businesses within the United States—along with other countries—will continue to demonstrate vision and leadership by working for the low-carbon, resilient economic growth that will create quality jobs and markets for 21st century prosperity," the United Nations said in a statement Monday. "It is crucial that the United States remains a leader on environmental issues."
The United States will have officially withdrawn from the agreement in January 2026. The text of the agreement requires nations to wait one year after initiating the withdrawal process.
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