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A second exit by the United States could severely weaken the Paris climate agreement, according to a warning from the UN chief.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has emphasized the importance of the United States remaining in the international climate process to avoid a "crippled" Paris Agreement, especially amid concerns that Donald Trump may seek to withdraw the country from the accord for a second time. Guterres acknowledged that while the 2015 agreement to limit global warming could technically survive another US exit, it would be akin to losing a vital organ. He stated, "The Paris Agreement can survive, but we don’t want a crippled Paris Agreement. We want a real Paris Agreement."

Reports indicate that if Trump wins the Republican nomination, he could completely withdraw the US from the UN climate negotiation framework, a move that might require Senate approval for re-entry. Such a departure could destabilize international climate cooperation and encourage other nations to follow suit, leading to catastrophic global temperature rises and extreme weather events.

In an interview at the Cop16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, Guterres urged the US to remain committed to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. He stated, "It's very important that the United States remain in the Paris Agreement, and more than remain, that the United States adopts the kind of policies that are necessary to make the 1.5 degrees still a realistic objective."

The US became the first country to formally withdraw from the Paris Agreement in November 2020 after Trump announced its exit in June 2017. Complicated regulations delayed the departure, but President Joe Biden rejoined the agreement on his first day in office in January 2021, reinstating the US as an active participant in global climate discussions.

While climate issues have been secondary in the 2024 US presidential campaign, Trump, known for his climate denial, has promised to boost fossil fuel investment and cut support for renewable energy and electric vehicles. Climate scientist Michael Mann warned that a second Trump presidency would severely hinder US climate action, making it nearly impossible to stabilize warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.