EP112—Legal Implications of the US Withdrawal from the UNFCCC

EELP Founding Director and Harvard Law Professor Jody Freeman speaks with Sue Biniaz, former Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate at the US State Department and lecturer at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. For nearly three decades, Sue served as the United States’ lead climate lawyer and climate negotiator. Together, Jody and Sue break down the significance of the recent US announcement to withdraw from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. They explain what the UNFCC does, the domestic and international legal implications of withdrawal, and what this move—along with the earlier withdrawal from the Paris Agreement—means for US credibility on the global stage. They also look ahead, exploring how climate progress can continue beyond the UNFCC and Paris, and the need to develop bipartisan consensus for durable climate actions.  Transcript: https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CleanLaw-EP112-Transcript.pdf Legal and Practical Implications of the U.S. Withdrawal from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change by Sue Biniaz and Jean Galbraith https://www.justsecurity.org/128687/implications-us-withdrawal-unfccc/