The United States withdrew from the board of the UN’s climate damage fund, according to a letter from the US Treasury Department made public on Friday.
The letter stated that the US would no longer be a member of the UN Board for the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage, a climate damage fund that seeks to assist developing countries particularly affected by climate change. The fund was established in 2023 at the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), a landmark event in climate change action with over 85,000 participants. During COP28, the US agreed to form the climate damage fund along with almost 200 other countries.
Losses and damages protected by the fund include the loss of human lives, the deterioration of ecosystems, and the loss of property. The UN reported in 2022 that as much as $300 billion per year could be needed to support the fund.
One of the UN’s main objectives in repairing climate damage is reducing fossil fuel emissions. The Paris Agreement emphasizes this goal in its fight against global warming, though US President Donald Trump issued an executive order stating his intention to withdraw the country from the agreement in January.
Withdrawal from the climate damage fund comes on the heels of several other steps taken by Trump to limit the country’s participation in climate change prevention and international law. The US previously pledged donations along with several other countries that totaled $700 billion.
The withdrawal of US funding will greatly impact the climate damage fund, and Trump’s decision has sparked negative reactions around the world. Climate activist Harjeet Singh stated that leaving the climate damage fund does not absolve the US of its responsibility, asserting that the US has historically been the largest producer of fossil fuels and is to blame for large amounts of climate damage. Singh called for the US to be held accountable for its actions.