President’s memo stating US ‘shall withdraw’ from UNFCCC marks first time any country has tried to exit the agreement

Trump’s memo stating US ‘shall withdraw’ from UNFCCC marks first time any country has tried to exit the agreement

The Trump administration’s long-anticipated decision this week to pull the US from the world’s most important climate treaty may have been illegal, some experts say.

“In my legal opinion, he does not have the authority,” Harold Hongju Koh, former head lawyer for the US state department, told the Guardian.

In a Wednesday presidential memorandum, the president said the US “shall withdraw” from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), along with 65 other organizations, agencies and commissions that it deemed “contrary to the interests of the United States”. It marks the first time any country has ever moved to exit the agreement.

The UN climate body requires one year’s notice for withdrawal, so the United States will not cease being a party for a year. Trump’s memo did not specify whether or not his administration will submit a formal notice of termination to the UN.

  • nocturne@slrpnk.net
    56·
    1 day ago

    When has something being legal ever stopped trimp? No one enforces law against him, so it does not matter.

    • Jumbie@lemmy.zip
      26·
      24 hours ago

      I think it being illegal and him doing it anyways is the modern Nazi’s way of “sticking it to the libs.”

      Oh, calling them Nazis is going too far? Let’s roll the tape on the Gestapo shooting and terrorizing civilians in their homes while demanding papers.

      • panda_abyss@lemmy.ca
        15·
        23 hours ago

        I think that now they’re going house to house to search for people to send to concentration camps, the Nazi comparison is fine.

  • ripcord
    2·
    15 hours ago

    This is such a fucking weird thing to say at this point. People are living in a dreamworld to even mention this at this point.

    “Nov 12. 1934: Experts say Hitler’s establishment of concentration camps last year may have been illegal”

    “Feb 1938: directing a city to abandon a Jewish celebration last month may have been illegal”

    • ripcord
      1·
      15 hours ago

      “Housefire we are sitting in may be bad for property values, experts say”

  • snekerpimp
    17·
    24 hours ago

    Of course it’s illegal. Everything this man has done his entire life is illegal.

    • floofloof@lemmy.ca
      11·
      23 hours ago

      Wait until someone tells him how naughty he is being. He will surely stop out of shame and moral propriety.

      • Asafum
        2·
        22 hours ago

        “Sir it is of my great displeasure to inform you that Santa Claus is getting very close to giving you coal this year. He has a list and he checks it multiple times.”