The international agreement on climate change to reduce carbon emissions was signed in December 2015 in Paris, France by more than 195 countries. Since then, many states are following the tedious networks of rules and regulations in the effort to start reducing carbon emissions. This year, in November 2016, the Paris Agreement came into full force, and as a result, most countries will abide by their diplomatic and environmental commitment to keep their Paris Accord integrally.
As the planet is becoming warmer each year, there have been more natural disasters, such as severe floods, extreme droughts, violent weather patterns, more aggressive hurricanes, storms, and tornadoes. Many regions of the world are affected by the increasing global temperatures and their losses of crops, food production, international trade, and experience the brutal fallout of rising global temperatures worldwide.
The Guardian reports:
“The agreement commits world leaders to keeping global warming below 2C, seen as the threshold for safety by scientists, and pursuing a tougher target of 1.5C. The carbon emission curbs put forward by countries under Paris are not legally-binding but the framework of the accord, which includes a mechanism for periodically cranking those pledges up, is binding. The agreement also has a long-term goal for net zero emissions which would effectively phase out fossil fuels.”
Each year the temperature rises, alarming scientists of the hidden dangers to come. The growing concern originates from the elected President, Donald Trump, who tweeted in 2012 that “Global warming is man-made hoax.” That quote resonated around the world as a warning. If Donald Trump is elected, he will probably impede the Paris Agreement and become a stalemate. From the same source, “Governments are meeting this week in Marrakesh to flesh out some of the legal and technical details of the Paris accord. But their talks have been overshadowed by the election of Donald Trump as US president because he has vowed repeatedly to cancel the agreement or at least the US’s participation in it.” (16 November 2016).
The French President, Francois Hollande, spoke to Donald Trump and reiterated that it was essential for the United States to keep his climate change agreement on the table and follow through with the rest of the nations. There are growing concerns among the scientific community that Trump will sabotage or stop altogether the Paris accord. Many scientists reported that Trump was a threat to the preservation of the environment and a threat to climate change with the Paris Agreement in place. Reuters reports, “French President Francois Hollande, addressing almost 200 nations meeting in Morocco on ways to slow global warming, said that inaction would be ‘disastrous for future generations and it would be dangerous for peace.'”
The meeting for most of the world leaders in Morocco, in the city of Marrakesh, is vital in keeping the promises made in 2015 to implement in a collective and collaborative way all the technicalities and logistics that come with the Paris accord. From the same source, “‘The United States, the largest economic power in the world, the second largest greenhouse gas emitter, must respect the commitments it has undertaken,’ Hollande said to applause. The agreement was ‘irreversible,’ he said.” it is important to note that the United States is the second’s largest producer of emission gasses which go the atmosphere and in return damage the ozone layer that protects us from UVA and UVB rays. These ultraviolet spectrum of lights are lethal to human skins. Without the ozone layer, the temperature of the Earth will be unbearable.
Euronews reports, “This is a comprehensive agreement, unlike the Kyoto Protocol, which allowed countries the freedom to choose climate change policies. A double-edged sword, perhaps? I mean, how do we ensure now that countries reach their objectives in time to keep global warming below 2 degrees, which is stipulated in the Paris Agreement?” (3 November 2016).
From the same news source:
“Patricia Espinosa is Mexican politician and diplomat representing the country of Mexico and leader in the fight for climate change. The Paris Agreement is a built on a common basis that all countries in the world accept responsibility in the fight against climate change. At the same time, the Paris Agreement stipulates that countries can increase their measures, but its not possible to reduce them.” There is a greater part of accountability and responsibility for each nation to fight for climate change and reducing its gas emissions all over the globe.
Scientific American says, “Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the presidential race stunned climate advocates and threatens to unravel President Obama’s policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand renewable energy.” (9 November 2016). Is there a possible scenario in which President Trump will unravel and change the climate change work done by the Obama administration as early as next year?
Many scientists are viewing the president-elect to be an adversary and an opponent to the Paris climate agreement. It is without a doubt that the new President Trump will have to face all the world leaders face to face and either refuse its participation or accept the climate change challenges dead-on. If he does not, he will be viewed by world leaders in the struggle for climate change as the enemy number one for the conservation of the environment and protection of the planet against rising temperatures.
