If Donald Trump pulls out of the Paris agreement to control the rate of Carbon Dioxide Emissions, what will be the possible outcome? Here’s a guide to the content of the deal, how global warming has affected the earth, and what the possible outcome could be if the United States exits the agreement.
The aim of the deal is to reduce the increasing temperature rate of the Earth by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) since the industrial revolution began. But, the temperature has increased by 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 degrees Celsius) since the industrial age; therefore, this is more about preventing the earth from heating up by an additional 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nations present targets for reducing carbon emissions
At the summit, each nation presented its targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Those presentations summed up to preventing 117 billion tons of carbon dioxide gas from being introduced into the atmosphere by 2030, analysts calculated.
The U.S. goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 is at 1.6 billion tons of annual emissions or 27 percent below the 2005 level. Further, research published in the Nature Climate Change journal reiterated that America will probably achieve four-fifths of that target.
For China, with more greenhouse gas emissions than the U.S., the target is for carbon emissions to climb to its peak by 2030 and then start declining, decreasing the amount of pollution per person to 60 percent when compared with the 2005 levels.
Recent signs show that China may have achieved its target, 10 years earlier than expected. China accounts for about one-third of the pledged reductions.
The goals of the agreement are voluntary with no strings attached
The Climate pact was agreed upon by 197 countries and has been confirmed by 147 parties, including the European Union that set the deal in motion.
The goals are voluntary, with no strings attached. All that’s required is a pledge and a progress report towards that pledge.
The U.S. has an option to stay in the pact and not make efforts to fulfill its part of the bargain. It could stay in the agreement and not hit its target. It could remain in the pact and alter/change its goal, either by a reduction or by an increase. Or, it could choose to exit the accord altogether. It takes over three years for a country to exit the agreement. The United States’ decision notwithstanding, the climate agreement remains relevant.
