On June 1st, 2017, President of the United States Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would no longer be a part of the Paris Agreement that implements regular discussons and regulations on climate change. Trump states that the Paris Climate Agreement is a bad deal for America, and is more concerned about the economic strain it will have on our country rather than the reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of getting straight into the mistakes that were made yesterday, let's look at some facts about climate change and about the Paris Climate Agreement.
As we all know from middle school science class, gases in our earth's atmosphere cause a "Greenhouse Effect" on the planet, hence the name. This is what keeps the heat trapped inside planet Earth and allows for humans and animals to sustain life. The Greenhouse Effect is essential to maintain life on Earth. However, there is a sort of enhanced Greenhouse Effect that occurs when excessive amounts of CO2 are released into the atmosphere. This is what causes the temperature of the Earth to rise and cause what we now know as Global Warming, which is the climate change effect we do NOT want to have. Global Warming has many negative effects, but mainly causes glaciers to melt, which conversely puts land that was once suitable to live on underwater. This means many island nations are in danger because of the rising temperature of the Earth.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gas emissions are most prominent from well-developed countries. These gas emissions are mainly CO2, emissions that stem from fossil fuel combustions (cars, trucks, and other vehicles) and some industrial processes. China comes in first, being the source of 30% of CO2 emissions out of everyone. However, the United States comes in second, emitting at least 15% of the CO2 in total (data collected from a 2014 study). Although China's emissions are paramount compared to the United States, it is still a staggering amount the U.S. emits considering that's almost 1/7th of all emissions in the entire world. The United States is a greenhouse gas powerhouse, and since deciding to pull out of the agreement, it will continue to be.
The Paris Climate Agreement can be found on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change website. The website clearly states:
"The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. To reach these ambitious goals, appropriate financial flows, a new technology framework and an enhanced capacity building framework will be put in place, thus supporting action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries, in line with their own national objectives. The Agreement also provides for enhanced transparency of action and support through a more robust transparency framework."
In short, this means that all the Paris Climate Agreement is trying to accomplish is getting the temperature of the earth down a few degrees and reduce the effects of Global Warming. It is asking that the countries in compliance with the United Nations and with the agreement reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and conversely help developing countries reduce their emissions as well.
Now, down to the reasoning behind pulling out of the Paris Agreement. President Donald Trump states that he's "Putting America First" by leaving the agreement, saying that the regulation of emissions accomplishes little and will hurt the industrial jobs in America.
Trump also made this decision also due to the fact that the U.S. would have regulations, and China would get a "free pass" with no regulations. According to Inside Climate News, this will be the fourth year in a row that China has had a negative growth in emissions, and they will soon meet their promises to the Paris Agreement by using 15% of clean energy sources. China is making progress to backtrack on negative effects of climate change they've produced. And the U.S. is "saving jobs" by continuing to burn fossil fuels and use non-renewable energy sources.
Coal and industrial workers have been the cornerstone of this nation for some time now, doing dangerous jobs to provide energy for the citizens of America. But the truth is, coal isn't going to last forever. Fossil fuels are not going to just magically pop into the ground, ready for us to take at our leisure. They take millions of years to form. If we use them up, then there will be no jobs in this industry, no more fossil-fueled energy, and we will have ruined our planet from emitting an unspeakable amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. By switching a percentage of our energy to clean, renewable energy, we will not only be creating jobs to support those energy sources, but we will be reversing our carbon footprint. We will be saving those non-renewable energy sources that much more for the future. Instead of lying to our men and women who work in non-renewable energy, we need to help them transition to more renewable energy.
These facts prove that the Trump Administration didn't leave the agreement because of the jobs, they left because of the money the U.S. would be spending to support reversing the global carbon footprint. The Trump Administration doesn't care about the fact that the world is literally turning into a giant Easy Bake Oven, they just want voters to think they care about them while they're making decisions to boost the capital of the United States. Trump even stated in his address that they feel the accord won't accomplish much. Getting the Earth's temperature down 2 degrees Celsius may not sound huge to anyone else, but it's a big huge stride in the right direction. Jobs can be created in renewable energy. Regulations are voluntary, meaning the U.S. would be making its own efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, not anyone else's. We would be bettering America, and in that same vein, bettering the entire world.
In light of the agreement being vetoed by President Trump, some states have come together in solidarity against his decision to prove that the American people are with the Paris Climate Agreement. Governer Jerry Brown of California has expressed his immediate desire to make the decision for America, and is meeting with officials in China to help with new and better ways to reduce carbon emissions. The American people cannot be silenced.
Climate change is real. Global warming is real. We can't keep pushing these facts to the side. It is dangerous for everyone, including America. We may think that the U.S. is an almighty superpower that is indestructible, but Mother Nature will be here before and after the United States ever was and ever will be. The Earth doesn't wait on anyone. If we take care of it, it will take care of us. But until then, we will be destroying the only home that houses every single country, every single race, and every single human being -- Planet Earth.
"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it." -Neil deGrasse Tyson