In 2016, 197 countries signed the Paris Agreement, powers across the globe pooling efforts to prevent climate change. However, on November 4, the U.S. government, as initiated by President Donald J. Trump P’00, began its official exit from the Paris Climate Agreement.
The goal of the Paris Agreement is to stop the escalation of climate change through group efforts. A few of the key commitments signatories made include reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20% and keeping global temperature increases below 1.5º Celsius, as well as fostering climate resilience. By resisting these goals, the U.S. is undermining the global effort to avert catastrophic climate change.
The U.S. signed signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, under the Obama administration. However, two years later, in 2017, President Trump declared that he would withdraw from the deal, reasoning that it would hurt the U.S. economy while favoring other major emitters, like China. Without the support of the largest economy in the world, the Paris Climate Agreement is considerably weakened. The U.S.’s withdrawal from the agreement will undermine other countries’ commitment to a more sustainable future.
The Paris Agreement allows every country to set its own emission goals, meaning that the accord is a voluntary agreement. Since the only enforcement mechanism is “name and shame,” countries can escape relatively unscathed if they don’t meet their goals. So, it is clear that the U.S.’s withdrawal was more symbolic than anything — an effort to undo the legacy of the past administration in terms of environmental progress.
The most tangible consequences on the American front will be seen in the coastal states, since those are the ones most affected by rising sea levels, a major effect of global warming. Rising sea levels in turn deplete drinking water supply and damage infrastructure. The U.S. economy will also likely see heavy export taxes lifted on them from counties committed to green energy and lowering emissions. Such fiscal attacks would likely be met with retaliation, leading to unpredictable repercussions in the international arena. Also, pulling out of this accord sends the wrong message to other countries by lifting the pressure to stay in the agreement from other major emitters, like China and India.
Anyone who checks Trump’s Twitter page knows that he cares little about the science underlying severe warnings of climate disaster. The president justifies his decision with an “America First,” economy-forward ideology but disregards the scientifically proven threats to every sector and region of the United States and the growing need to protect its citizens from air pollution and water problems caused by carbon emissions. According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, 69% of voters and 51% of Republican voters disapprove of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the agreement. And once the U.S. pulls out, it will take a long time for the U.S. to rejoin the agreement. Even if Trump fails to win a second term in office, his successor will not become president until January 20, 2021.
The United States will officially exit the agreement on November 4, 2020, a day after the presidential election. The top Democratic candidates for the 2020 election all promise to rejoin the agreement and to achieve zero greenhouse emissions by 2050. Now that there is less than a year until the presidential election, Americans should keep in mind that their future — nay, the world’s future — is in their hands.
