As much of the United States grapples with an unusually severe winter storm, Washington formally withdrew from the Paris Agreement on Tuesday, marking the second time that U.S. President Donald Trump has pulled the country out of the landmark global climate pact.

From Tuesday onward, the United States will no longer honor its pledged emissions-reduction targets under the agreement.

In a recent interview with CGTN, United Nations Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq stressed that all countries have an obligation to address climate change. "This is a serious issue that requires collective action," Haq said, adding that the UN opposes any attempt to evade climate commitments.

Adopted at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference, the Paris Agreement was signed by nearly 200 countries and entered into force in November 2016. It aims to limit the rise in global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to cap warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. The agreement also calls for global greenhouse-gas emissions to peak as soon as possible and for net-zero emissions to be achieved in the second half of this century.

Fundamental misperception of climate change, oil interests

This is not Trump's first withdrawal from the agreement. During his first term, he also announced the U.S. exit. Why is the U.S. withdrawing from the Paris Agreement? What are the differences between the two withdrawals? How will the U.S. absence affect the global response to climate change?

Wang Can, a professor at Tsinghua University's School of Environment, said Trump's repeated withdrawal stems from a fundamental misperception of climate change and the interests of the groups he represents.

Trump has repeatedly labeled climate change a "hoax" or "pseudo-science," arguing that climate action restricts economic growth and employment, an outlook that runs counter to scientific consensus, Wang said.

Wang also mentioned the role of interest groups. Oil and gas interests have contributed an estimated $75 million to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, according to federal campaign data.

Noting that Trump received strong backing from energy interests and traditional manufacturing sectors, whose priorities include loosening environmental regulations to boost profits, Wang said Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement largely reflects these demands.

Diao Daming, the deputy director of the National Academy of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, noted that the U.S. is increasingly prioritizing its own interests in foreign affairs, seeing the provision of global public goods as inconsistent with its private interests. This can be one of the reasons behind its retreat from multiple global agreements, including the Paris Agreement.

Will the U.S. withdrawal work?

The U.S. first exited in 2017 when the global climate action was in its early stages. However, its second exit happened at a time when global climate governance has advanced significantly, with accelerating clean-energy investment, rapid technological innovation, and falling renewable energy costs. Hence, experts argue that the impact of a second U.S. withdrawal will be more limited, highlighting Washington's growing isolation in global climate governance.

Wang said that as the U.S. is the world's largest developed country and a major provider of technology and funding, its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement not only undermines international confidence in climate action but also makes it more difficult for developing countries to access technology and financial support, thereby slowing down global efforts to combat climate change.

Despite this, Wang said the U.S. withdrawal will not reverse the broader global trend toward green and low-carbon transformation.

Liu Weidong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, warned that the U.S. risks missing out on economic gains from the energy transition, thereby weakening industrial competitiveness and soft power. "The U.S. is shifting from a provider of global public goods to a source of uncertainty," he said.

Extreme cold, snowstorms, and power-grid stress highlight that climate risks are immediate challenges for cities, energy systems, and public finances. Against this backdrop, Washington's renewed withdrawal from climate cooperation raises concerns.

In this sense, the U.S. exit opens space for China to strengthen its role in global climate governance, expand its influence in green and low-carbon development, and deepen cooperation with partners such as the European Union, Wang said.

Through the Belt and Road and other initiatives, China can offer greater technological and financial support to developing countries, helping build a more constructive international climate framework, Wang said.