People are witnessing the significant effects of climate change, which include changing weather conditions, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events. Greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are driving climate change and continuing to increase. They are now at the highest level in history. Without measurements, the average surface temperature of the world is expected to rise over the 21st century, and probably exceed 3 degrees Celsius over the course of this century – with some parts of the world likely to warm even more. The poorest and most vulnerable are the most affected. Currently, 197 countries – every nation on earth, the last signatory is war-torn Syria – have adopted the Paris Agreement. 179 of them have consolidated their climate proposals with official approval, including, for the time being, the United States. The only major emitters that have yet to formally accede to the agreement are Russia, Turkey and Iran. Taking part in an election campaign promise, Trump – a climate denier who has claimed that climate change is a „hoax“ perpetrated by China, announced in June 2017 his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. But despite the rose garden president`s statement that „we`re going out,“ it`s not that simple.
The withdrawal procedure requires that the agreement be in effect for three years before a country can formally announce its intention to withdraw. She`ll have to wait a year before she leaves the pact. This means that the United States could formally withdraw on November 4, 2020, the day after the presidential elections. Even a formal withdrawal would not necessarily be permanent, experts say. a future president could join us in a month. The authors of the agreement have set a withdrawal period that President Trump must follow – which prevents him from irreparably harming our climate. The UN system is working with partners to accelerate the fight against climate change, help countries limit climate change and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. From renewable energy to food security, jobs and clean water, the UN is promoting a more sustainable and prosperous world for all.
It`s worrying. Taking action to combat climate change is now economically viable. The longer you delay, the more you pay. We can promote economic growth, eradicate extreme poverty and improve people`s health and well-being by acting today. Climate protection is everyone`s business. To make things simpler, we`ve made a list of things you can do. You can also visit the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to learn more about the Paris Agreement and share what you have learned and what you are doing on your social networks with the hashtag #ParisAgreement. The IPCC notes that climate change is limited only by a „substantial and sustainable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.“ While the benefits of presenting a single global temperature threshold as a dangerous climate change can be discussed, the general scientific view is that an increase in global temperatures of more than 2 degrees Celsius would be an unacceptable risk – potentially leading to mass extinctions, more severe droughts and hurricanes, and an arid region. While it is not clear that global warming will cause „sudden and irreversible changes“ in Earth`s systems, the risk of exceeding the threshold only increases if temperatures rise. In an effort to „significantly reduce the risks and effects of climate change,“ the agreement calls for the average increase in global temperature over this century to be well below 2 degrees Celsius, while continuing efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
It also calls on countries to commit as quickly as possible to comparing global greenhouse gas emissions and to become carbon neutral by the second half of this century.
