The US announced that they officially rejoined the Paris Agreement last Friday, Feb. 19. First dated back to 2015, almost 200 parties signed the international Paris Agreement, aiming to “limit global warming to well below 2 (preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius) compared to pre-industrial levels.” While the US lost its previous leading role from President Trump’s withdrawal in 2017, President Biden signed the executive order for the US to rejoin on his first day of office. Despite the severity of the problem, he felt optimistic about creating more jobs while moving towards clean energy.
Although the US has not proposed further commitments yet, the Biden administration has planned to announce their updated goals towards 2030 later this year; Biden, himself, has also delivered his hope for carbon neutrality by 2050. Meanwhile, countries around the globe have been endeavoring towards different ambitious goals. The UK and the EU, for example, have respectively set the goal to “reduce emissions by 68% and 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.” Over 60 governments have committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and China will also strive to meet this goal by 2060. Every year, the climate crisis is estimated to be responsible for 20 million people leaving their homes. From shrinking ice sheets to increasing extreme events, we now live in the era where global warming is “proceeding at an unprecedented rate” due to human activities. To tackle the ever-worsening crisis beyond borders, countries must unite to create a better future for mankind.
(picture source: Reuters/Susana Vera)