Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement that was signed by 196 countries in 2015 threatens to devastate struggling developing nations in Africa, developing nations throughout the world and the entire planet.
The signature nations of the Paris climate accord agreed to limit the global temperature rise to 2° C by 2020 and 0° C degrees by 2050. Although the developing nations said, “1.5 keeps us alive,” and the Paris agreement didn’t go far enough, they agreed it was a step in the right direction, so they signed on.
Nicaragua didn’t sign on, stating, “They would not restrict average temperature rises to 2° C, let alone 1.5° C. Much more action is needed. These voluntary commitments don’t work. Right now we’re looking at a three-degree world and that is catastrophic and unacceptable.” I agree!
The nations also agreed to set up a $100 billion fund for developing nations to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels (i.e., coal, oil and natural gas), and increase their capacity to secure clean renewable energy sources such as solar (sun), wind, hydro (water) and geothermal (underground). Not enough! Developed nations should give more because they emit more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The United States, Europe and China account for almost half of the world’s carbon emissions.
Fossil fuels emit greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide, that thickens the Earth’s atmosphere and traps radiation from the sun by preventing infrared radiation from leaving the Earth. This trap increases the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and causes dangerous global warming.
This dangerous climate change and overheated Earth is causing forest fires, rising tides, hurricanes, droughts and water to evaporate in Africa and other developing nations, leading to food shortages and starvation. The death and destruction of nature and human life that global warming is causing is incalculable. It must be stopped now, before it’s too late!
Most nations of the world and more than 187 cities in America are honoring the Paris Climate Agreement and will be moving straight ahead without Trump. He will be isolated on this one. Trump wants to protect the dirty, dangerous coal mining industry to keep his campaign promise.
As I mentioned earlier, the Paris agreement doesn’t go far enough. There were many contradictions in the agreement. Monitoring and verification of the reduction of the use of fossil fuels by untrustworthy capitalist nations is a serious issue. There needs to be great changes and additions to the agreement.
We the people must continue the struggle and not let the Paris agreement be a bunch of empty rhetoric and neoliberal propaganda. We must unite like never before and save this planet from racist, greedy, parasitic capitalists! Forward ever! Backward never!