The City of Houston is continuing to operate under its Climate Action Plan, even after President Donald Trump finalized the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement this week.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration completed the formal process to exit the international climate accord for a second time. Trump directed the withdrawal through an executive order signed on his first day back in office in January 2025.
“In recent years, the United States has purported to join international agreements and initiatives that do not reflect our country’s values,” the executive order states. “These agreements often impose burdensome obligations while failing to deliver meaningful benefits to the American people.”
The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, is a voluntary framework in which participating countries set targets aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Trump previously initiated the U.S. withdrawal in 2017 during his first term, a move that prompted several cities to announce their own commitments aligned with the agreement.
Houston’s Climate Action Plan was unveiled in 2020 under then-Mayor Sylvester Turner. At the time, Turner pledged that the city would pursue policies intended to align with the agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, independent of federal participation.
The plan outlines actions focused primarily on city government operations. Among its stated objectives are transitioning Houston’s municipal vehicle fleet toward electric alternatives, increasing energy efficiency in city-owned facilities, and incorporating emissions considerations into infrastructure planning. The document does not impose requirements on private businesses or residents but proposes incentives and voluntary programs intended to encourage emissions reductions.
After taking office in 2024, Mayor John Whitmire reorganized the city’s climate-related work. Oversight of the Climate Action Plan was moved under a newly created Office of Recovery and Resilience, which reports directly to the mayor. Whitmire said at the time that the restructuring would maintain the plan while integrating it with disaster recovery, flood mitigation, and infrastructure efforts.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment regarding whether Houston plans to revise or scale back the Climate Action Plan following the federal withdrawal, or how the city is tracking progress toward the plan’s stated benchmarks.
The plan acknowledges that most greenhouse gas emissions in the Houston area originate from the private sector, particularly energy and industrial operations. While the city does not regulate those emissions through the plan, it includes proposals to expand partnerships, incentives, and outreach efforts aimed at businesses and individuals.
Trump’s second withdrawal from the Paris Agreement follows a broader shift in federal climate policy. Earlier this month, the administration also began the process of exiting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the treaty that underpins the Paris Agreement. That move could make it more difficult for future administrations to reenter the accord.
After Trump’s first term, the United States rejoined the Paris Agreement under President Joe Biden. However, the additional treaty withdrawal initiated this month introduces new procedural hurdles that did not exist during the previous transition.
For now, Houston’s Climate Action Plan remains in place, operating separately from federal participation in the Paris Agreement.
