Several countries welcomed the early ratification of an agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from the burning of fossil fuels, in order to limit floods, droughts, stronger storms and sea-level rise. President Xi and I intend to continue working together in the coming months to ensure that our countries are leaders in climate matters. Three years ago, in California, we first decided to work together to reach a global agreement to gradually reduce the use of superpollutants known as HFCs, and we are only six weeks away from final negotiations. We also have the opportunity to reach a global agreement to reduce emissions from the global aviation industry – one that is supported by the industry. And today, we are presenting roadmaps to conclude the two negotiations this year. Warmer temperatures – both on land and at sea – are changing global weather patterns and changing how and where precipitation falls. These changing patterns exacerbate dangerous and deadly droughts, heat waves, floods, wildfires and storms, including hurricanes. They also melt ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost layers, which can lead to sea level rise and coastal erosion. Warmer temperatures also affect entire ecosystems, unbalancing migration patterns and life cycles. For example, an early spring can cause trees and plants to bloom before bees and other pollinators appear. While global warming can lead to longer growing seasons and higher food production in some areas, areas already struggling with water scarcity are expected to become drier, creating a risk of drought, crop failures or wildfires. The president`s promise to renegotiate the international climate agreement has always been a smog screen, the oil industry has a red phone inside, and will Trump bring food trucks to Old Faithful? However, it is important to remember that the Paris Agreement is not static. Instead, it is designed to boost countries` national efforts over time – meaning that current commitments are the lower limit rather than the ceiling of climate change ambitions.
The bulk of the work – reducing emissions even further by 2030 and 2050 – has yet to be done, and the agreement provides the tools to make that happen. Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane are gases that accumulate in the atmosphere and prevent heat from radiating from the Earth`s surface into space, creating the so-called greenhouse effect. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the leading international scientific body dealing with this issue, the concentration of these heat storage gases has increased significantly since pre-industrial times to levels not seen in at least 800,000 years. Carbon dioxide (the main cause of climate change) has increased by 40% since 1750, nitrous oxide by 20% and methane by 150% – mainly from the combustion of dirty fossil fuels. The IPCC says it is “extremely likely” that these emissions are mainly responsible for the rise in global temperatures since the 1950s. At the same time, deforestation and forest degradation have also contributed to their fair share of global carbon emissions. The Paris Agreement reflects the collective belief of almost every country in the world that climate change is humanity`s war to fight and exposes America`s climate skeptics – including Trump – as global outliers. Indeed, mobilizing support for climate action across the country and around the world gives hope that the Paris Agreement marked a turning point in the fight against climate change. We can all contribute by looking for ways to reduce contributions to global warming – at the individual, local and national levels. The efforts will be worth rewarding a safer and cleaner world for future generations. Lisa Jackson, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: For eight years, the president and his administration have been pushing this issue forward in the face of recalcitrant opposition.
At first, it was said, “Climate change does not exist,” and then it was said, “They overestimate the effects.” Today`s decision by the United States and China to formally join is an important step towards entry into force this year, as countries that account for about 40 percent of global emissions have now joined and more than 55 countries have already joined or publicly pledged to work to join the agreement this year. In the United States, however, there has been a political setback from Republicans in Congress who question whether the president needed to be approved by the HIll to approve the deal. The White House has a precedent for signing this type of executive agreement. John Holdren: At the end of the day, one could only agree that the world as a whole should aim to limit the increase in global average surface temperature to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Accepting a goal implies that your country will agree when it comes to taking specific measures to make your country`s contribution to the achievement of that goal. And that`s why it was at least a step forward that everyone accepted it. But he was far from an agreement on the details of what countries would do. In quantifying the damage that carbon pollution does to society, Trump views America as an island in itself — and we all know what climate change is doing to the islands. What`s great about that moment is that he was sitting there with them and it wasn`t a staged, employee-focused conversation. It was a legitimate conversation between world leaders about what they could do. Some parts were quite tense. There was a very complicated exchange with the Chinese.
But in the end, President Obama had a piece of paper and wrote down what the contours of an agreement would be. .