Showalter Quoted on Trump Memorandum Pulling United States from World Organizations
IBA News
Partner J. Michael Showalter, International Bar Association Environment, Health, and Safety Law Committee officer, was quoted on President Trump’s January memorandum removing the United States from 66 international organizations and instruments, including 31 entities tied to the United Nations.
“The Trump administration’s conception of international law and international relations is very different than past administrations,” Mike said.
The memorandum pulled the United States out of nearly a dozen organizations advancing cooperation on addressing global warming, biodiversity loss, and energy, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Mike said that the move has sparked “a very interesting” question regarding the legality of using a memorandum to pull the United States out of international treaties that had been ratified and approved by a two-third majority in the US Senate.
Whether future US Administrations could and would rejoin UNFCCC is unclear.
Mike said, “The US was never the most reliable country in terms of climate governance,” noting that states such as Michigan are taking “very aggressive action” by suing fossil fuel companies on climate grounds.
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