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United States Announces Plans to Withdraw from Paris Agreement on Climate Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2018

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Extract

On September 3, 2016, the United States deposited with the UN its instrument of acceptance for the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016. Following the change of U.S. presidential administrations, new President Donald Trump announced less than seven months later that the United States would withdraw from the Agreement. On August 4, 2017, the United States communicated this intention to the United Nations secretary-general, who serves as the depositary for the agreement.

Type
International Oceans, Environment, Health, and Aviation Law
Information
American Journal of International Law , Volume 111 , Issue 4 , October 2017 , pp. 1036 - 1044
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by The American Society of International Law 

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References

1 U.S. Dep't of State Press Release, John Kerry Remarks, U.S. and China Joining the Paris Agreement (Sept. 3, 2016), at https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/09/261567.htm.

2 The Paris Agreement, Apr. 22, 2016, TIAS No. 16-1104, available at http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php [hereinafter Paris Agreement].

3 White House Press Release, President Donald Trump, Statement on the Paris Climate Accord (June 1, 2017), at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/06/01/statement-president-trump-paris-climate-accord [hereinafter Trump Statement].

4 U.S. Dep't. of State Press Release, Communication Regarding Intent to Withdraw from Paris Agreement (Aug. 4, 2017), at https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/08/273050.htm [hereinafter Aug. 4 Press Release].

5 Paris Agreement, supra note 2, Art. 28.

6 Status of Ratification of the Convention, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, at http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/status_of_ratification/items/2631.php. See generally Nash (Leich), Marian, Contemporary Practice of the United States, 87 AJIL 103 (1993)Google Scholar (providing an overview of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change).

7 In its withdrawal statement, the United States indicated that it “will continue to participate in international climate change negotiations and meetings, including the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP-23) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to protect U.S. interests and ensure all future policy options remain open to the administration. Such participation will include ongoing negotiations related to guidance for implementing the Paris Agreement.” Aug. 4 Press Release, supra note 4.

8 Paris Agreement, supra note 2, Art. 28.

9 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Art. 25, May 9, 1992, 1771 UNTS 107 [hereinafter UNFCCC].

10 Trump Statement, supra note 3.

11 Paris Agreement, supra note 2, Art. 4(2). See generally Daugirdas, Kristina & Mortenson, Julian D., Contemporary Practice of the United States, 110 AJIL 374 (2016)Google Scholar (providing an overview of the agreement's requirements).

12 INDCs as Communicated by Parties, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, at http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/indc/Submission%20Pages/submissions.aspx.

13 U.S. Cover Note INDC and Accompanying Information, available at http://www4.unfccc.int/Submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/United%20States%20of%20America/1/U.S.%20Cover%20Note%20INDC%20and%20Accompanying%20Information.pdf.

14 Duncan Hollis, What to Look for in Any U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, Opinio Juris (June 1, 2017), at http://opiniojuris.org/2017/06/01/what-to-look-for-in-any-us-withdrawal-from-the-paris-agreement; Daniel Bodansky, Sound and Fury on the Paris Agreement – But Does It Signify Anything?, Opinio Juris (June 2, 2017), at http://opiniojuris.org/2017/06/02/33147.

15 Paris Agreement, supra note 2, Art. 4(2).

16 Id. Art. 4(11).

17 Id. Art. 4(3).

18 Juliet Eilperin, In the Trump White House, the Momentum Has Turned Against the Paris Climate Agreement, Wash. Post (May 3, 2017), at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/05/02/in-the-trump-white-house-the-momentum-has-turned-against-the-paris-climate-agreement.

19 Chris Mooney, Trump's Reasons for Leaving the Paris Climate Agreement Just Don't Add Up, Wash. Post (June 1, 2017), at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/01/trumps-reasons-for-leaving-the-paris-climate-agreement-just-dont-add-up.

20 About the Fund, Green Climate Fund, at http://www.greenclimate.fund/who-we-are/about-the-fund.

21 Paris Agreement, supra note 2, Art. 9(1); see also Mooney, supra note 19 (quoting Biniaz as saying that “financial contributions are voluntary”); Bodansky, Daniel, The Paris Climate Change Agreement: A New Hope? , 110 AJIL 288, 309–11 (2016)Google Scholar (Paris Agreement does not create any new substantive financial obligations).

22 Chris Mooney, Days Before Trump's Inauguration, State Dept. Sends $500 Million to United Nations Climate Fund, Wash. Post (Jan. 17, 2017), at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/17/days-before-trumps-inauguration-state-dept-sends-500-million-to-united-nations-climate-fund.

23 Michael D. Shear, Trump Will Withdraw U.S. From Paris Climate Agreement, N.Y. Times (June 1, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/climate/trump-paris-climate-agreement.html.

24 Nicholas Vinocur, Macron Trolls Trump with ‘Make Our Planet Great Again’ Website, Politico (EU) (June 8, 2017), at http://www.politico.eu/article/macron-trolls-trump-with-make-our-planet-great-again-website; Make Our Planet Great Again, at https://www.makeourplanetgreatagain.fr; Somini Sengupta, Melissa Eddy, Chris Buckley & Alissa J. Rubin, As Trump Exits Paris Agreement, Other Nations Are Defiant, N.Y. Times (June 1, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/world/europe/climate-paris-agreement-trump-china.html.

25 Sengupta, Eddy, Buckley & Rubin, supra note 24.

26 Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada Press Release, Statement in Response to the United States’ Decision to Withdraw from the Paris Agreement (June 1, 2017), at http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2017/06/01/statement-prime-minister-canada-response-united-states-decision-withdraw-paris [hereinafter Trudeau Statement].

27 Paolo Gentiloni, Emmanuel Macron & Angela Merkel, Prime Minister of Italy, President of France, & Chancellor of Germany, Dichiarazione Italia-Germania-Francia sull'annuncio degli USA dell'uscita dall'Accordo di Parigi sul clima (June 1, 2017), at http://www.governo.it/articolo/dichiarazione-italia-germania-francia-sullannuncio-degli-usa-delluscita-dallaccordo-di [hereinafter Gentilioni, Macron & Merkel Statement].

28 Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General of the UN, Statement on the US Decision to Withdraw from the Paris Agreement (June 1, 2017), at https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2017-06-01/statement-attributable-spokesman-secretary-general-us-decision.

29 Trump Statement, supra note 3.

30 Yeganeh Torbati & Valerie Volcovici, Exclusive: U.S. Envoys Told To Be Coy on Re-engaging in Paris Climate Deal – Cable, Reuters (Aug. 8, 2017), at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climate-diplomacy/exclusive-u-s-envoys-told-to-be-coy-on-re-engaging-in-paris-climate-deal-cable-idUSKBN1AO276.

31 Id.

32 Sengupta, Eddy, Buckley & Rubin, supra note 24; Kevin Loria, Paris Climate Agreement Architect: This Was a “Vacuous Political Melodrama,” Bus. Insider (June 1, 2017), at http://www.businessinsider.com/christiana-figueres-trump-decision-to-pull-us-out-of-paris-agreement-2017-6.

33 Sengupta, Eddy, Buckley & Rubin, supra note 24.

34 Trudeau Statement, supra note 26.

35 Gentiloni, Macron & Merkel Statement, supra note 27.

36 Id.

37 Sengupta, Eddy, Buckley & Rubin, supra note 24; Michael D. Shear & Coral Davenport, World Leaders Increase Pressure on Trump to Stay in Paris Accord, N.Y. Times (May 26, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/world/europe/paris-climate-agreement-trump-g7.html.

38 G20 Leaders’ Declaration: Shaping an Interconnected World, 10, July 7/8, 2017, available at https://www.g20.org/gipfeldokumente/G20-leaders-declaration.pdf.

39 G20, Hamburg Climate and Energy Action Plan for Growth, Annex to G20 Leaders Declaration, July 7/8, 2017, at http://www.g20.utoronto.ca/2017/2017-g20-climate-and-energy-en.pdf.

40 U.S. Climate Alliance, at https://www.usclimatealliance.org.

41 Jonah Engel Bromwich, Defying Trump, Hawaii Becomes First State to Pass Law Committing to Paris Climate Accord, N.Y. Times (June 7, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/climate/hawaii-climate-paris-trump.html.

42 Climate Mayors, at http://climatemayors.org.

43 Sara Durr, Mayors Strongly Oppose Withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord, The U.S. Conf. of Mayors (June 1, 2017), at https://www.usmayors.org/2017/06/01/mayors-strongly-oppose-withdrawal-from-paris-climate-accord.

44 Jessica Meyers, Jerry Brown in China with a Climate Message to the World: Don't Follow America's Lead, L.A. Times (June 7, 2017), at http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-brown-china-20170607-story.html; Javier C. Hernandez & Adam Nagourney, As Trump Steps Back, Jerry Brown Talks Climate Change in China, N.Y. Times (June 6, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/world/asia/xi-jinping-china-jerry-brown-california-climate.html.

45 Associated Press, China and California Sign Deal to Work on Climate Change Without Trump, Guardian (June 6, 2017), at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/07/china-and-california-sign-deal-to-work-on-climate-change-without-trump; Meyers, supra note 44.

46 Lisa Friedman, Jerry Brown Announces Climate Summit Meeting in California, N.Y. Times (July 6, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/climate/jerry-brown-california-climate-summit.html; Melanie Mason, Evan Halper & Patrick McGreevy, Gov. Brown Unveils Plan for Global Climate Summit, Further Undercutting Trump's Agenda, L.A. Times (July 6, 2017), at http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-jerry-brown-climate-summit-20170706-story.html.

47 Friedman, supra note 46.

48 Alexander Burns, Going Around Trump, Governors Embark on Their Own Diplomatic Missions, N.Y. Times (July 15, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/15/us/trump-governors-diplomatic-missions.html.

49 Trudeau Statement, supra note 26.

50 Abrams, Abigail & Shen, Lucinda, ‘Climate Change is Real’: Business Leaders React to President Trump's Withdrawal from Paris Agreement , Fortune (June 2, 2017)Google Scholar, at http://fortune.com/2017/06/01/paris-climate-agreement-business-leaders-react.

51 Kristine Phillips, Michael Bloomberg Pledges His Own Money to Help U.N. After Trump Pulls Out of Paris Climate Deal, Wash. Post (June 3, 2017), at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/03/michael-bloomberg-pledges-his-own-money-to-help-u-n-after-trump-pulls-out-of-paris-climate-deal; Bloomberg Philanthropies Press Release, Mike Bloomberg Doubles Down to Ensure America Will Fulfill the Paris Agreement (June 1, 2017), at https://www.bloomberg.org/press/releases/bloomberg-philanthropies-commits-15-million-fill-budget-gap-left-trumps-revoking-us-support-un-climate-treaty.

52 Bloomberg Philanthropies Press Release, Mike Bloomberg Sends Statement to the United Nations Following Unprecedented Outpouring of Support for Paris Agreement (June 5, 2017), at https://www.bloomberg.org/press/releases/mike-bloomberg-sends-statement-united-nations-following-unprecedented-outpouring-support-paris-agreement; America's Pledge, at https://www.americaspledgeonclimate.com; Hiroko Tabuchi & Lisa Friedman, U.S. Cities, States and Businesses Pledge to Measure Emissions, N.Y. Times (July 11, 2017), at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/climate/cities-states-businesses-emissions-climate-pact.html.

53 Bloomberg Philanthropies Press Release, supra note 52.

54 Id.