“A world that is safer and more secure, more prosperous, and more free.” Barack Obama on Paris Climate Agreement
The entire world will be keeping an eye on the United States’ election on 3 November this year. America’s next president is pivotal for the world not only because it is one of the most powerful nations of the world, but this year its result is more requisite because; it would decide how our planet is going to be in future; this time the results will be deciding the average temperature of the earth in the times ahead.
Paris Climate Agreement
Paris Climate Agreement, December 2015, a plan to control the ever-increasing temperature of the earth due to global warming. All 197 countries around the globe came together showing concern about the global climate crisis. All the nations agreed to cut the pollution which is causing heat to be trapped in the atmosphere.
Even though only a few of them didn’t make this agreement official in their countries. Most of the countries made it official but putting minimal efforts in cutting the emissions. In this agreement, the US has been a very Vital Role. From all the countries pledged to reduce heating-emission by 2030, 21% is pledged to be reduced by the United States alone. On the agreement, President Obama praised, saying, “We met the moment.“
The Paris Climate Agreement is the only agreement of its type that binds the entire globe together; to take a stand against climate change and increasing average global temperature.
But, on June 1, 2017, from White House Rose Garden, President Donald J Trump declared that America would no more be a part Paris Climate Agreement. In November of 2019, he sent a letter to the UN, initiating the year-long process of leaving the agreement.
Why does President Trump want to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement?
President Trump in his speech in which mentioned the US’s plan to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement; said that the agreement is not fair to Americans. The agreement distributes the wealth of the USA in all the other countries because of which American people, workers, and taxpayers have to incur great losses, he added.
He mentioned the country’s abundance of energy reserves which can lift million of American workers above of poverty. But the agreement is restricting the country from using its own reserves.
In his speech, he also assured that he is open to negotiation on the Paris Climate Agreement or stepping into some other agreement concerning environmental issues; which is fair on part of Americans too.
With Climate change, President Trump has been very consistent. He has given up almost all the climate change concerning policies by former President Obama. He has bolstered fossil fuel in the United States to a large extent.
Problems occurring due to the increasing temperature of the earth
Earth’s temperature has already increased by more than 1-degree Celcius before the pre-industrial age (1880), NASA. Already because of the increased temperature enormous problem have erupted.
- Since 1980, the length of the frost-free season has increased and is expected to lengthen further with global warming; affecting the eco-system and agriculture.
- The US’s average precipitation has increased since 1900.
- Globally droughts have become more often and more severe.
- Many regions are facing heat-waves, which will become more severe if things go on like this.
- Wildfires around the globe have become frequent
- The great- barrier reef of Australia is dying due to the heating of the ocean water
- Floods have become more severe than ever, every year costing millions of money and a huge number of lives.
What will happen if the earth’s temperature increases by 2-degrees?
The main intent behind the Paris Climate Agreement is to limit the earth’s average temperature to become 2-degree celsius hotter compared to the pre-industrial age. If the world keeps on track emitting this much emission than the earth will be 3-degree Celsius hotter.
This much rise in earth’s average temperature will have catastrophic results; impacting every country and every person on the globe. According to NASA, if the temperature of the earth would increase greater than 2-degree Celcius than:
- The heat-wave that was faced by Pakistan and India in 2015, would become more frequent in most parts of the world.
- The coolest night of the year would be 4.5-degrees hotter than before.
- Severe Droughts
- We will witness massive migration between the countries, in search of jobs and water, food.
- Billions of people will be living in the temperature only found in the Sahara desert today.
The Paris Climate Agreement is not mandatory or is not a set of rules that all the member countries have to follow. It is completely voluntary on the part of the country, whatever it thinks is beneficial to the environment as well as to the country.
What would happen next?
So, the Congress government can also come up with innovative ideas through which it can look both; environment as well as it’s peoples advantage. This way it can fight the climate-changing issues which will not affect it’s economies much.
But if Trump wins the election, the very next day America will officially leave the agreement. On the flip side, Joe Biden will be part of the Paris Climate Agreement. He has also planned to cut-off the emission to zero, by 2050.
America is a vital part of the agreement. It has a huge economic part in the world. Climate-change problem is almost impossible to be solved without the US’s considerable contribution. This election has enormous consequences not only for the US but for the entire world. So, what our earth is going to be like in the coming years is the American’s hand.
