U.S. Withdrawal: IPCC and IPBES React to U.S. Exit from Global Bodies

By: Abudu Olalekan

PBES calls US withdrawal deeply disappointing while IPCC emphasizes participation remains voluntary and open to all member nations.

January 8, 2026. That’s when the news dropped. The United States announced it was pulling out of more than 60 international organisations. Sixty. Let that sink in for a moment.

Among those affected are two critical scientific bodies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Big names. Even bigger implications.

Dr. David Obura chairs IPBES. He didn’t hide his feelings about the announcement. “Deeply disappointing news,” he called it. And honestly, who can blame him?

Here’s the thing about the United States and IPBES. They go way back. The US was a founding member when the organisation started in 2012. American scientists, policymakers, indigenous peoples and local communities have been some of the most active participants in the platform’s work. They’ve contributed to assessments about the state of our planet. They’ve led landmark reports. They’ve helped steer the organisation both scientifically and administratively.

Now they’re walking away. Just like that.

Obura made sure to acknowledge all those contributions. He thanked the global IPBES community for their invaluable work. But he also made something very clear – the organisation will keep looking for ways to engage in the future. The door isn’t completely shut.

There’s an interesting twist though. IPBES hasn’t actually received any formal notification from the US government yet. They’re just going by what was announced publicly. But they expect the official withdrawal notice will come soon enough.

The IPBES Chair raised a point that really makes you think. Governments can choose to withdraw from global processes. Thats their right. But withdrawing from an organisation doesn’t change the science. It doesn’t make the facts go away.

Over one million species of plants and animals are facing extinction. That’s according to the IPBES Global Assessment from 2019. The global economy is losing up to $25 trillion every single year in environmental impacts. That figure comes from their 2024 Nexus Assessment. These numbers don’t disappear because a country decides to step back.

And here’s what really stings. By not acting now, we’re missing opportunities to generate more than $10 trillion in business value and create 395 million jobs by 2030. The Transformative Change Assessment from 2024 laid all this out. Its not just about saving trees and animals. Its about economics too.

The IPCC had a different kind of response. More measured, you could say. Jim Skea, who chairs the organisation, emphasized that participation in IPCC work is voluntary. Its free. Its open to all member countries of the UN and the World Meteorological Organisation. With or without a formal announcement.

Basically, the IPCC is saying the work continues regardless. Scientific reports agreed upon by member governments are already being prepared for this assessment cycle. The Panel keeps making decisions by consensus at its regular Plenary sessions. Their focus remains on delivering these reports.

Skea and his team also reminded everyone what makes the IPCC special. It sits at the intersection of science and policy. Because of this unique position, its assessments provide rigorous, balanced and evidence-based information to decision-makers around the world.

IPCC reports help governments at all levels develop climate policies. They feed into international climate negotiations under the UNFCCC. The organisation has been around longer than any other intergovernmental panel. It has built up an unmatched capacity to assess and synthesize the massive body of scientific knowledge on climate change.

Both organisations seem to be sending a similar message beneath all the diplomatic language. Science doesn’t care about political decisions. Climate change and biodiversity loss will continue whether or not certain countries participate in global efforts to address them.

The real question now is what happens next. Will other nations step up to fill the gap? Will American scientists find other ways to contribute? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain – the planet isn’t waiting for anyone to make up their minds.