By the Way, the U.S. Officially Withdraws From the Paris Agreement Tomorrow
When Americans wake up on Wednesday, the United States will have officially withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, the international climate accord embraced by nearly 200 countries across the globe. Our exit will make the U.S. the only signatory to have abandoned the landmark agreement, fulfilling a promise made by President Trump three years ago, Vox noted. The country’s membership expires at midnight on Tuesday.
The United Nations (UN) pact demands nations keep global temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a widely accepted benchmark for preventing catastrophic warming in many parts of the world. As Earth’s second largest polluter following China, and “the largest economy from climate geopolitics,” the U.S. is influential in shaping climate policies, Politico reported. Without its membership, countries like Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Australia could feel less inclined to enforce their own climate rules.
