Climate change has been a problem since the dawn of the industrial revolution, humans and automation go hand in hand people are always looking to make things easier, more simple but in doing so , they ruin the planet they inhabit. Future generations will be left with a barren husk of the world their ancestors once inhabited, never again knowing the true beauty and uniqueness that this planet offers, all because humanity did not respect and protect it.
“The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It entered into force on 4 November 2016,” according to the United Nations.
Before the 2016 election former president Barack Obama signed the United States into the Paris climate agreement, but later after the 2016 presidential election current president Donald Trump left the agreement and then joined again during Joe Biden’s presidency. Now after the most recent presidential election Trump was reelected into office and on his inauguration day he left the agreement once again. The United States and the agreement have been on very confusing terms, going back and forth between being a part of it to not being a part of it. But why should anyone care? Why is it so important to be in or out of agreement?
“With the Paris Agreement, countries established an enhanced transparency framework (ETF). Under ETF, starting in 2024, countries will report transparently on actions taken and progress in climate change mitigation, adaptation measures and support provided or received. It also provides for international procedures for the review of the submitted reports,” according to the United Nations.
The countries that are a part of the agreement are required to report their yearly emissions of greenhouse gases to be reviewed for areas of improvement that the individual country can do to reduce their emissions. The United States is responsible for the second highest amount of carbon emissions, while China is the highest. This is why its important for the United States to be a part of this agreement it fosters accountability for large corporations that cause a vast majority of the carbon emissions, if these companies aren’t held accountable then they will continue to pollute the earth without any consequences or repercussions.
“It’s over arching goal is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels” according to the United Nations. Limiting the increase of global temperatures is the primary goal of this agreement because an increase in temperature has many horrific consequences, from rising sea levels, the extinction of various species of animals, melting of polar ice caps, and potentially parts of the earth being completely uninhabitable. If there are so many reasons why it is important to be a part of the Paris climate agreement, then why is America not a part of it? A primary reason as to why is drilling oil, many individuals in the United States want to increase the amount of oil drilling they are allowed to do to make more money and increase more profits associated with the oil industry, a predominant part of American history and why it is such a wealthy nation, corporations and billionaires are wealthy, the people over all are not.
But why should you care? The planet could be heavily affected by this decision not to be a part of the agreement, making sure a nation as wealthy as America stays within a limit of carbon emissions is extremely important, don’t you want a world where future generations can experience the beauty that is this planet, it is the job of young people to strive for change. There are things you can do to help, try to get in contact with your local legislators here in Iowa and address your concerns for climate change and the problems concerning the US dropping out of the Paris climate agreement, to find your legislator go to the Iowa Legislature website for their contact information and to find out Iowa’s policies on limiting climate change.