UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations confirmed on Tuesday it had received a notification from Washington of its withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement, a key campaign pledge of US President Donald Trump.

On his first day back in the White House, Trump announced the United States would leave the accord, which is managed by the UN climate change body and brings together almost all the nations with an aim to keep global average temperature rise below a critical threshold.

“I can confirm to you that the United States has notified the secretary-general, in his capacity as a depository, of its withdrawal on January 27 of this year from the Paris agreement,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres.

“According to Article 28, paragraph two, of the Paris agreement, the withdrawal of the United States will take effect on January 27, 2026.”

Trump previously withdrew the United States from the Paris accord during his first term. Despite this, the agreement — adopted in 2015 by 195 parties to curb greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change — appears poised to endure.

Washington typically provides 22pc of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat’s budget, with the body’s operating costs for 2024-2025 projected at $96.5 million.

Billionaire entrepreneur Michael Bloomberg has announced his foundation will meet the shortfall.

The secretariat is tasked with supporting the global response to climate threats, and organises international climate conferences, the next of which will be COP30 held in November in Brazil.

Since coming back to office, Trump has also declared a “national energy emergency” to expand drilling in the world’s top oil and gas producer, said he would scrap vehicle emissions standards, and vowed to halt offshore wind farms.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2025

Opinion

Revival? For whom?

Revival? For whom?

Numerous sets of numbers, not quoted by govt sources, suggest that things are not as dazzling as claimed by those who run the country.

Editorial

Premature alarm
Updated 20 Feb, 2025

Premature alarm

Improvement in headline inflation gives policymakers chance to fix investment policies, implement structural reforms.
Forsaken province
20 Feb, 2025

Forsaken province

AND the endless cycle of violence continues. The brutal killing on Tuesday night of seven Punjab-bound passengers in...
In poor health
20 Feb, 2025

In poor health

THE absence of decent and affordable healthcare in the country continues to ruin lives. An example of this is ...
Out of control
Updated 19 Feb, 2025

Out of control

AS bodies continue to fall in Kurram despite a state-sanctioned ceasefire, one wonders how long local militants’...
Hollow words
19 Feb, 2025

Hollow words

IT is not uncommon for politicians to resort to the use of hyperbole in order to boost their public standing. ...
Migration matters
19 Feb, 2025

Migration matters

THE grass, it seems, did appear greener on the other side to millions of people as evidenced by the latest UN ...