Current:Home > InvestTrump’s Paris Climate Accord Divorce: Why It Hasn’t Happened Yet and What to Expect -VitalWealth Strategies
Trump’s Paris Climate Accord Divorce: Why It Hasn’t Happened Yet and What to Expect
View
Date:2025-04-13 17:10:55
The Trump administration, which separated from the international community on climate change soon after taking office, filed for divorce on Monday by formally notifying the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord.
Just as in a real break-up, the step was not surprising, and a long process lies ahead. Here are answers to some questions about what it all means.
Why make this announcement now?
When nations signed on to the Paris Agreement in 2015, agreeing to cut their greenhouse gas emissions enough to keep rising global temperatures in check, one of the provisions was that no nation would be permitted to exit the deal for three years.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s announcement Monday of the formal U.S. retreat came on the first day that it was possible for the U.S. to make the move. The rules of the treaty also require an additional one-year waiting period for the withdrawal to be finalized—meaning it won’t be official until Nov. 4, 2020, one day after the presidential election.
Is the U.S. really cutting carbon emissions?
No. Pompeo suggested that the U.S. carbon footprint is dropping in his announcement, pointing to the 13 percent decline in carbon emissions from 2005 to 2017. But that doesn’t count what has been happening since the Trump administration began rolling back climate-related policies.
Official government figures won’t be available until April, but the consulting firm Rhodium Group estimates that in 2018, as Trump policies took hold, emissions increased 3.4 percent, reversing three consecutive years of decline. And the U.S. Energy Information Administration, basing its forecast on current U.S. policies, projected earlier this year that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions would hold steady through 2050—a disastrous course for the planet.
How are other countries responding?
Two things seem apparent—an increasing role for China and a shortfall in ambition.
The United States has left a huge void by backing away from the Paris process. Not only is the U.S. the largest historic contributor of atmospheric carbon emissions, it is the country that helped shape the approach that broke the logjam between the developed and developing nations to pave the way for the treaty.
China, currently the largest carbon emitter, has stepped into the void—co-chairing discussions and helping to shape the technical rules for the accord. However, at the UN Climate Summit in New York in September, it became clear that the world’s major polluters, including China, have not made the needed moves to increase their commitments.
Does this mean the U.S. is out of Paris for good?
A future administration could rejoin the treaty with a mere 30-day waiting period. All of the Democratic presidential candidates say they are committed to returning to the fold and raising the ambition of U.S. commitments.
In the meantime, state and local leaders who are committed to climate action—the “We are Still In” coalition—announced Monday that they plan to send a small delegation to climate talks in Madrid in December. Their goal: “to build connections, strengthen partnerships, and find opportunities to advance American interests and collaborate with one another to tackle the climate crisis.”
veryGood! (8451)
Related
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Zoë Kravitz is 'much closer' to Channing Tatum after directing 'Blink Twice'
- Pharmacist blamed for deaths in US meningitis outbreak expected to plead no contest in Michigan case
- Powerball winning numbers for August 21: Jackpot rises to $34 million after winner
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Gun rights activists target new Massachusetts law with lawsuit and repeal effort
- Flick-fil-a? Internet gives side eye to report that Chick-fil-A to start streaming platform
- Tropical Storm Hone forms in the central Pacific Ocean, Gilma still a Category 3 hurricane
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Powerball winning numbers for August 21: Jackpot rises to $34 million after winner
Ranking
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- New Federal Report Details More of 2023’s Extreme Climate Conditions
- Body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch is recovered from wreckage of superyacht, coast guard says
- Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik Will Compete on Dancing With the Stars Season 33
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Isabella Strahan Reacts to Comment About Hair Growth Amid Cancer Journey
- Wall Street’s next big test is looming with Nvidia’s profit report
- A teen’s murder, mold in the walls: Unfulfilled promises haunt public housing
Recommendation
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Video shows woman almost bitten by tiger at New Jersey zoo after she puts hand in enclosure
John Cena Shares NSFW Confession About Embarrassing Sex Scenes
Teen Mom's Kailyn Lowry Engaged to Elijah Scott After Welcoming Twins
What to watch: O Jolie night
What causes warts on hands? Here's what types of HPV can trigger this contagious skin condition.
After DNC speech, Stephanie Grisham hits back at weight-shaming comment: 'I've hit menopause'
$1M verdict for teen, already a victim when she was assaulted by an officer