The Paris Agreement is an international treaty that was signed by 195 countries in 2015, with the aim of addressing the issue of climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement was seen as a landmark achievement in the fight against climate change, but it has come under threat in recent years, with the United States being one of the key players in this debate. So, has the US pulled out of the Paris Agreement?
In 2017, the Trump administration announced that the US would be withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, citing concerns over the economic impact of the agreement and the alleged unfairness of the deal for American businesses. This decision was met with widespread criticism from environmentalists and other countries, who argued that the US was shirking its responsibility to address the global problem of climate change.
The withdrawal process from the Paris Agreement is a lengthy one, with a minimum of one year notice required before a country can officially leave. Therefore, the US could not officially withdraw from the Paris Agreement until November 4, 2020, which is exactly one day after the 2020 US Presidential Election.
However, it is important to note that the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement was not universally supported, and many states and cities within the country have continued to uphold the commitments made in the agreement. In fact, as of 2021, 25 US states have pledged to uphold the emissions reduction targets outlined in the Paris Agreement, regardless of the federal government`s stance on the issue.
In addition, the new Biden administration has made a commitment to rejoin the Paris Agreement, with President Biden signing an executive order on his first day in office to start the process of rejoining the agreement. This move has been widely celebrated by the international community, and it is seen as a significant step in the fight against climate change.
In conclusion, while the US did officially withdraw from the Paris Agreement in 2020, there has been a lot of pushback against this decision, both domestically and internationally. With the new Biden administration`s commitment to rejoin the agreement, there is hope that the US will once again take a leading role in the fight against climate change.