On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced the country’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord.
“I’m immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris Climate Accord rip-off,” he said during his inauguration.
This marked the second time he has withdrawn the US from the agreement, which enshrines the UN’s climate objectives.
Trump originally withdrew the US from the climate agreement in 2019.
However, when former President Joe Biden took the reins, he quickly re-entered the accord, on his first day in office.
What is the Paris
Climate Agreement?
The Paris Agreement is a short agreement with 16 introductory paragraphs and 29 articles.
It contains procedural articles (covering, for example, the criteria for its entry into force) and operational articles (covering, for example, mitigation, adaptation and finance).
The agreement was adopted by 194 countries on December 12, 2015, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris.
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the agreement entered into force on November 4, 2016.
UNFCC describes the accord as a landmark international treaty aimed at addressing climate change.
Its primary goal is to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to keep the increase below 1.5°C.
This agreement is a central part of global efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The Paris Agreement works on a five-year cycle.
Since 2020, countries have been submitting their national climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
UNFCC says each successive NDC is meant to reflect an increasingly higher degree of ambition compared to the previous version.
In their NDCs, the organisation says, countries communicate actions they will take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Countries also communicate in their NDCs actions they will take to build resilience to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Further, the Paris Agreement provides a framework for financial, technical and capacity-building support to those countries who need it.
The agreement’s work is to increase the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production.
What are the effects of the US’s withdrawal from the accord?
According to experts who spoke to The New Indian Express, the US decision to withdraw from the agreement will weaken global efforts to mitigate climate change.
The experts said the worst consequences will be felt in developing countries that have contributed the least to global emissions.
Climate activist and Founding Director of Satat Sampada Climate Foundation Harjeet Singh criticised the move.
"The US is prioritising short-term economic gains for fossil fuel industries over the health and well-being of American communities, especially those already burdened by increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters such as wildfires and storms,” he said.
"Globally, it undermines the collective fight against climate change at a time when unity and urgency are more critical than ever."
CEO of the European Climate Foundation and a key architect of the Paris Agreement Laurence Tubiana said multilateral climate action remains robust despite such setbacks.
"The climate crisis cannot be tackled by any country alone -- it demands a multilateral response,” she said.
“But this moment should serve as a wake-up call to reform the system, ensuring that those most affected -- communities and individuals on the frontlines -- are at the centre of our collective governance.”
