The #ParisClimateChangeAccord was ratified in 2015 by all but two countries in the world — Syria, and Nicaragua. The agreement seeks to cap global greenhouse gas emissions and keep global temperature below two degrees Celsius — a very ambitious goal.
The big goal of this agreement was to get the world's top polluters to commit to cutting carbon emissions. This should come by enacting laws that put restrictions on GHG emissions from oil companies. China and the US alone account for nearly half of the world's top pollutants and these countries' commitment to cutting emissions was seismic — it was a giant step forward in tackling global warming.
However, after the involvement of President Obama in the agreement, President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal in 2017. The U.S. mistakenly abandoned not just a climate change deal that will add jobs to the economy in the long-run, it is also abandoned its role as a world leader. In 201, Biden brought us back into the deal, which will help save the world as we have been brought back to a leadership position.
The U.S. needs to remain as a leader, otherwise China is poised to take over a leadership vacuum left by the United States. It is forging new alliances with the US's long time allies, Europe, and becoming an even more dominant force in Asia. China has also been projected to transition to 70% electric cars by 2030.
When Al Gore unveiled his 2006 documentary on global warming, it shocked the entire world. The predictions were dire and America, and being the de facto world leader, we were set to tackle these challenges. During the Obama administration, several environment-friendly policies were put into place. They targeted oil emissions, pollution, clean water, air quality, land reserves conservation, planting of trees, and more. These restrictions and regulations were all topped by the Paris Climate Change Accord which would tie together these domestic policies to help the U.S. lead the world to a cleaner future.
We need to reverse climate change, otherwise the U.S. will have steep economic cost as houses and livelihoods will be gone, and lives will be lost. I am hopeful that President Biden can lead us in this effort.
