Although many people are talking about Trump leaving the Paris Climate Accord, not many people actually know what is even in the accord, and so cannot know what it means. The Paris Climate Accord was first created in late 2015 and the agreement was originally supported by 196 nations. Without knowing what America leaving the Paris Climate Accord means, it is impossible to continue with wise, measured decisions.
What the Agreement was All About
The Paris Climate Accord came about in the wake of studies showing the devastating impact that climate change can have on our planet, not very far in the future.
The agreement had a few key rules: try to limit the global temperature rise to 2 degrees, or 1.5 if possible -- although the latter is unlikely -- have developed countries support the undeveloped world with $100 billion to change their economies, re-evaluate the deal every five years, and reach no carbon emissions. The last goal was set for the middle of the century, with no firm date, but the rest were meant to begin in 2020. Additionally, under the assumption that the technologies used to heal the climate would not prevent rising of carbon emissions, but would eventually decrease the damage, the 'peak' of emissions was planned to happen as soon as possible.
In order for the deal to continue, 55 countries needed to sign, with a total of 55 percent of the world's emissions represented.
How much this means: a lot
Although the United States is only one nation of many, the U.S. represents 17 percent of global carbon emissions, as reported by the Union of Concerned Scientists. This means that while the U.S. leaving the Accord will not stop it altogether, this will damage its effectiveness.
Leaders from all around the world pressured Trump to stay.
In response to him leaving, Angela Merkel claimed that the United States has lost its role as a world leader. In addition, Ivanka Trump, Rex Tillerson, and Gary Cohn pressured Trump to remain in the Paris Climate Accord, trying to enact change from within. Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceEx, even said that he would resign from the White House altogether, should Trump leave the agreement.
However, Steve Bannon and Scott Pruit, the leader of the Environmental Protection Agency, supported Trump's withdrawal.
Trump did say that he cared deeply about the environment and that he was leaving the agreement as a way to protect American jobs. While this deal did not seem fair to him, Trump also said that he would be open to negotiations on a new deal -- one that he felt was fair to America.
While we wait for that decision to be made, Chinese leaders say that they are still dedicated to preventing climate change, as is Europe's leadership.
