On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, the Trump Administration announced that the United States will withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The United States originally signed the UNFCCC in 1992 and since its adoption that same year, the Convention has been the treaty that provides the basis for international climate negotiations — including the 2015 Paris Agreement, which the United States exited from in early 2025.
This is another tactic by the Trump Administration that serves to further the federal government’s climate denial efforts and goal of giving fossil fuels a second life — something that all Americans will pay for with high utility bills and negative impacts to health and environment.
“This move to withdraw from both the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is unsurprising but still disappointing. The Trump Administration is doing everything in its power to sustain the fossil fuel industry and deny the climate crisis, and this is the latest tactic,” said Margaret Cherne-Hendrick, chief executive officer at Fresh Energy. “While this is certainly a blow to the international climate community and a stain on the United States’ record, the majority of work on the climate crisis has moved for now to the state level.
It has become clear that state-based organizations like Fresh Energy must continue to lead as we strive toward the goal of reaching net-zero by 2050. Our strongest and best defense against these tactics is to prioritize ambitious, equity-centered clean energy and climate work at the local, state, and regional levels — something Fresh Energy and our community of partners excel at.”