Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement: What it actually means for the US
On January 20th, just as he had promised, the Biden administration sent a letter to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, after the US had formally left just under a hundred days before. But what is the Paris Agreement and what will it actually do to help us the imminent climate crisis.
On December 12th, 2015, during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the the Paris Climate Agreement was created. The accord would help countries establish and follow through will goals on reducing greenhouse gas emissions though 2025 or 2030. Before taking effect though, at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of the world’s global greenhouse gas emissions joined. In 2015, 195 nations joined the agreement and today 197 are part of the Paris Climate Accord. The only notable countries not participating are Iran, Turkey, and Iraq.
Leaders gathering at COP21 in 2015
In 2015, 195 nations joined the agreement and today 197 are part of the Paris Climate Accord.
One of the main goals of the accord is to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and keep our global temperature under 2 degrees celsius. The real goal though is 1.5 degrees, and according a report done by the IPCC in 2018, the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees could mean more poverty, extreme heat, sea level rise, and drought.
Before joining, countries set goals for carbon emissions through 2025 or 2030. The Paris Agreement helps countries commit to these goals, stay on track, and holds the accountable. Joining the agreement helps monitor countries’ independent and group climate goals. Another one of the Paris Agreement’s goals is to help developing nations in their efforts to combat pollution.
In 2015, the United States committed to having emissions drop to 26-28% below 2005 emissions by 2025. Currently, the United States is the world’s seconds biggest greenhouse gas emitter and initiatives to help these numbers drop include a clean power plan and reduction of transportation emissions. Though we just rejoined the accord, hopefully we can stay on track to meet our goals with the support of the other countries in the agreement.
