Immediately after his inauguration, Donald Trump, the second-term US president elect, withdrew his country from the historic Paris Climate Agreement.
EcoPolitic has gathered key facts about this crucial international treaty, which is always in the spotlight at UN climate conferences, and will explain to its readers the reasons for Trump's rejection of it.
What is the Paris Agreement?
The Paris Climate Agreement is a legally binding international agreement on climate change. Date of signing:December 12, 2015. Entry into force:November 4, 2016. Sign:194 parties – 193 countries and the EU. Signing place:The UN Climate Change Conference COP21 in Paris. The most important commitment:prevent the global temperature from rising by more than 1.5°C and keep it "well below" 2°C compared to pre-industrial times to avoid serious climate impacts from global warming, including floods, heatwaves and severe droughts. Other obligations:
- providing financing to poorer countries to transform their energy systems and adapt to the effects of climate change;
- reducing its emissions to "net zero" between 2050 and 2100.
Why the Paris climate agreement became iconic:for the first time, all countries united to fight climate change and adapt to its consequences.
What have the countries done since signing this agreement
The Paris Agreement operates on a five-year cycle, which accelerates increasingly ambitious climate actions driven by the constant improvement of "green" technologies.
From 2020, countries submit their national climate plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). They contain information about what actions the state intends to take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Each subsequent cycle is expected to demonstrate a higher level of ambition than the previous one.
But the world is currently not on track to achieve these goals. Last year was the hottest in human history, with the average global temperature hovering around 1.5°C warming and continuing to rise.
Why Trump is against US participation in the Paris Agreement
He withdrew the country from the global climate agreement during his first term in office, but in 2021 Joe Biden restored the US participation in it. And now we have a feeling of déjà vu.
On Monday, January 20, Trump started the process anew. He signed the order on stage in front of supporters at Capital One Arena, just hours after taking office.
"I am withdrawing immediately from the unfair, one-sided Paris climate agreement. The United States will not sabotage our own industry while China pollutes the environment with impunity," the new president declared to loud applause from the audience.
In the order, Trump instructed his ambassador to the UN to submit a formal notice of withdrawal. Although the document states that the US withdrawal will take effect “immediately” upon receipt of the notice, the Paris Agreement itself stipulates that this process will take a year.
According to Trump, the country's participation in the agreement puts economic pressure on the United States, restricts industry and cuts jobs in the fossil fuel sector. The president and members of his cabinet do not believe the predictions of most scientists that climate change will have catastrophic consequences and that carbon dioxide is its main factor.
The refusal to participate in the Paris Agreement drew sharp criticism within the United States and internationally, both in 2017 and now. After all, the United States was the only country to abandon this international agreement.
Earlier, EcoPolitics reported that Trump, on the first day of his presidency, withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time. Read about what other innovations in the field of climate and environmental protection we can expect from Trump and his team in this article.
