The US Caused $10 Trillion in Climate Damage—Demand Action

The United States has long been one of the world’s largest contributors to climate change—but a shocking new report makes clear just how deep that responsibility runs. According to new peer-reviewed research, the U.S. has caused an estimated $10 trillion in global climate damages since 1990, more than any other nation on Earth. 

These damages are not abstract. They are measured in lost crops, deadly heatwaves, flooded homes, and shattered economies—especially in countries that contributed far less to the crisis. Nations like India and Brazil have already suffered hundreds of billions of dollars in losses tied directly to emissions driven largely by wealthy polluters like the United States. 

And yet, instead of accepting responsibility, the Trump administration and its allies in Congress are actively moving in the opposite direction—rolling back climate protections, dismantling the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gases, and abandoning international commitments.

This is unacceptable.

Climate change is not just an environmental issue—it is a moral reckoning. The science is unequivocal that greenhouse gas emissions threaten human health, economic stability, and global security. And the United States, as one of the largest historical emitters, has a clear obligation to lead—not retreat.

We call on Congress and the Trump administration to:

1: Acknowledge the United States’ outsized role in causing global climate damages

2: Commit to robust funding for international climate “loss and damage” efforts

3: Restore and strengthen domestic emissions regulations immediately

4: Rejoin global climate agreements and uphold international commitments

The cost of inaction is already staggering—and it is being paid disproportionately by those who did the least to cause this crisis.

The United States must stop evading responsibility and start delivering accountability. Our future—and the world’s—depends on it. Please sign the petition to demand action.

The petition to the Trump administration and Members of Congress reads: The United States bears overwhelming responsibility for global climate damages—estimated at $10 trillion since 1990—and must be held accountable for its role in driving this crisis. We urge you to acknowledge this responsibility, restore and strengthen climate policies, and commit funding to address global climate losses. The time to act is now—anything less is a failure to meet both moral and global obligations.
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Sources:

Nature | Country-level contributions to global climate damages | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10272-6

The Guardian | US responsible for $10tn in climate damage, study finds | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/25/us-climate-damage-research

The Washington Post | Trump administration moves to repeal endangerment finding | https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/02/12/endangerment-finding-repeal/

National Academies | New report reviewing evidence for greenhouse gas emissions and U.S. climate health and welfare | https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/national-academies-publish-new-report-reviewing-evidence-for-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-u-s-climate-health-and-welfare