United States to Rejoin Paris Climate Agreement
Fiona Burton ‘23
On January 20th, President Biden signed an executive order that would put the United States on track to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. The Paris Climate agreement was introduced on December 12th, 2015. The United States, then under the Obama administration, formally joined the agreement in September of 2016. Following the election of Donald Trump, the United States withdrew from the agreement on November 4th, 2020. Under the Biden administration, the United States formally rejoined the agreement on February 19th, thirty days after the executive order was signed.
When the Paris Climate Agreement was introduced at the United Nations Climate Change Conference five years ago, 197 countries joined the agreement. Today, 189 countries remain involved. Most major greenhouse gas emitting countries are part of the agreement with the exception of Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Member nations strive to collectively limit the average temperature rise during this century to below 2 degrees celsius (35.6°F), but preferably to 1.5 degrees celsius (34.7°F). Additionally, the report encourages countries to become greenhouse gas neutral by the second half of the century.
Becoming greenhouse gas neutral requires nations to reduce emissions to nearly zero, in order to maintain a net-zero emissions status. Achieving this goal will balance the greenhouse gases emitted in the atmosphere with the emissions that are taken out of the atmosphere. The Paris Climate Agreement works in five-year cycles called Nationally Determined Contributions. Member nations must give reports on their progress to be reviewed by climate experts and must evaluate how much financial support they are willing to give to developing nations in need of climate crisis relief.
The financial aid goals of the Paris Climate Agreement build off of the Copenhagen Accord, signed in 2009. The Copenhagen Accord worked towards financially supporting developing countries to fight against climate change. The goal of the accord was to finance $100 billion a year to developing nations, however, only $79 billion was gathered for developing countries in 2019, making the accord internationally regarded as a failure.
Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement is a major step for climate action in the United States. Currently, the U.S. is the second-largest emitter of CO2, with emissions making up 15% of emissions in the world. More than five million acres on the West Coast burned last year due to the wildfires that swept through forests and left smoke drifting across the country. By rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, the United States will be able to work with the international community to fight against the climate crisis and ensure a safe future for all.
