In another stupid move, the United States has officially exited the Paris climate agreement for the second time, under the renewed presidency of Donald Trump. This decision not only isolates the U.S. as the only nation to withdraw from the landmark accord but also cements its position as an outlier alongside non-signatories like Iran, Libya, and Yemen. As the world grapples with escalating climate crises, the U.S. has chosen to step away from global climate governance, leaving a vacuum that other nations, notably Brazil, are beginning to fill.
The U.S. withdrawal, announced on Trump’s first day back in office in January 2025, was followed by a broader dismantling of domestic climate policies and a subsequent exit from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Experts warn that while global climate efforts will continue, the U.S. retreat complicates international cooperation and weakens the political signals needed to accelerate the transition to clean energy.
U.S. Climate Policy: Another Step Backward
The Trump administration’s aggressive push to expand fossil fuel production, including fast-tracking permits to meet the soaring energy demands of AI data centers, has been widely criticized as a regression. “It’s almost like they’re saying, we don’t care what you want from us, we will be the bad guys,” said Basav Sen of the Institute for Policy Studies. The U.S. abdication from climate leadership has also emboldened fossil fuel advocates globally, potentially slowing the pace of the energy transition in countries like China and elsewhere.
Moreover, the U.S. has removed itself from its role in financing the climate transitions of poorer nations, a move that could leave low-income countries struggling to move away from fossil fuels. “The U.S. is saying it won’t fund any of it,” Sen noted, highlighting the moral and financial vacuum left by the richest nation in the world.
Brazil: A Contrast in Climate Ambition
In stark contrast, Brazil has emerged as a beacon of climate action in 2025 and 2026. Hosting COP30 in 2025, Brazil not only showcased its commitment to reducing deforestation and restoring the Amazon but also took a leading role in organizing international talks aimed at phasing out fossil fuels. Alongside Colombia, the Netherlands, and Pacific Island nations, Brazil has pushed for bolder, more coordinated global action.
Brazil’s climate policies have focused on reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and expanding renewable energy capacity. In 2026, Brazil’s renewable energy sources accounted for over 95% of new power generation, outpacing even the most optimistic projections. The country has also committed to ambitious emissions reduction targets, pledging to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.
In 2025, the country saw a significant reduction in forest fires, a direct consequence of stricter enforcement against illegal logging, expanded protected areas, and increased investment in sustainable land management. Satellite data showed a nearly 78% drop in fire hotspots compared to the previous year, marking a turning point in the fight to preserve the Amazon.
A Global Disaster
Experts warn that the U.S. withdrawal could still have far-reaching consequences. “Every scientific report tells us things are worse than we previously thought and that more action needs to be taken,” said Sue Biniaz, a former U.S. climate envoy. “It’s the wrong time to be pulling out of the key agreement that’s dealing with the issue.”
On our current path, humanity is on track to overshoot the “safe” limit of 1.5°C significantly, heading instead toward a global temperature rise of roughly 2.6°C to 2.9°C by 2100. We have already warmed the planet by approximately 1.2°C, and this seemingly small increase is already fueling the record-breaking heatwaves, floods, and wildfires seen in recent years.
If this trend continues without drastic intervention, the “unprecedented” weather events of today will not just become the new normal—they will be considered mild compared to what lies ahead.
At nearly 3°C of warming, the consequences would likely be catastrophic and irreversible for large parts of the planet. In this scenario, scientists project that 99% of the world’s coral reefs would die, collapsing ocean food chains that support millions of people. Heat extremes would render some equatorial regions virtually uninhabitable for part of the year, potentially displacing over a billion people.
Furthermore, we would face a high risk of triggering dangerous climate “tipping points”—such as the irreversible melting of the Greenland ice sheet or the die-back of the Amazon rainforest—which would lock in meters of sea-level rise and accelerate warming even further, regardless of future human actions.
Source: RainForestFoundation, Globo, The Guardian
