Michael Gerrard

Rule Changes

Questioning legality of unilateral treaty withdrawal

On January 7, 2026, Trump signed a memorandum directing US withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change—the 1992 treaty George H.W. Bush signed and the Senate unanimously ratified. The US is the first of 198 parties to exit. The UNFCCC underpins all international climate negotiations (unlike the Paris Agreement, which Trump also exited), and withdrawal takes effect one year from notification.

Updated May 19