U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the main multilateral treaty on climate change. This agreement, adopted in 1992, encourages cooperation among nations to combat greenhouse gases (GHGs). The Paris Agreement is the second binding agreement under the UNFCCC.
Paris Climate Agreement
As of October 25, 2024, 195 Parties have ratified, accepted or acceded to the Agreement. This includes the United States. In addition, the Agreement sets a collective long-term goal.
The Agreement seeks to keep global temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. It also promotes additional efforts to limit this increase to 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial levels.
Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden,recommitted the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement as of February 2021, after Trump pulled his country out of it in his first term in office.
Carbon dioxide
The United States subsequently announced a nationally determined contribution under the agreement to reduce domestic carbon dioxide emissions by 50-52% below 2005 economy-wide levels by 2030.
To meet this target, analyses have indicated that the power sector would need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 80% below 2005 levels by 2030.
These nationally determined contributions could lead to a wide range of legislative and regulatory actions to help achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.
In addition, in his administration, Biden continued to direct federal agencies to address climate change, environmental justice, and other issues.
The concept of net-zero emissions has been integrated into international and domestic climate change policies. This approach seeks to reduce the environmental impact of human activities.
On the one hand, human-induced CO2 emissions increase CO2 levels in the atmosphere. On the other hand, these higher CO2 levels lead to an increase in the global average temperature. As a result, global negative effects are significantly intensified.