Reality of Climate Change

AS predicted， U.S. President Donald Trump kept his campaign promise and pulled out of the Paris Agreement on climate change on June 1， in line with his “America First”policy.

The global agreement， adopted by the 196 parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties， is committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and put the brakes on global warming.

Trumps announcement means the United States will join just two other nations not on board with the agreement - Syria and Nicaragua.

Trumps decision has sparked a wave of international criticism. Africans were vocal in their dismay at the U.S. withdrawal. Zambian Minister of Water Development， Sanitation and Environmental Protection Lloyd Kaziya said this was a blow to developing countries that were adversely being affected by the negative effects of climate change.

“Right now we are struggling to get financing from the Green Climate Fund and the decision by the United States will just worsen the situation，” he said.

The South African Department of Environmental Affairs Spokesperson Albie Modise said the United States has contributed significantly to global emissions and therefore has a moral obligation to lead in reducing emissions and support poorer economies in contributing to the global effort.

Environmentalists say the United States is responsible for around 15 percent of global carbon emissions， meaning its withdrawal places more of a burden on other countries to attain their own goals. In addition， former U.S. President Barack Obama had pledged $3 billion to an international Green Climate Fund aimed at helping developing countries， which will now fall by the wayside.

Critics also include those from within the United States where governors of New York， California and Washington have said they will establish a coalition to fight global warming. California Governor Jerry Brown， who was recently in China to discuss climate change cooperation， said “If the President is going to be AWOL in this profoundly important human endeavor， then California and other states will step up [and fill the void].”

Despite the U.S. pull out， Miguel Arias Canete， the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy， said the EU and China are joining forces to forge ahead on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and accelerate the global transition to clean energy. China intends to increase its share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2030.

Despite Trump persisting in calling climate change a “hoax，” United Nations Environment Program （UNEP） Executive Director Erik Solheim says the science on climate change is perfectly clear. “We need more action， not less.” He said committing to climate action helps countries on the front line of extremism and terrorism， assists coastal communities， protects food security and builds stability to avoid adding more refugees to what is already an unprecedented global humanitarian crisis.

There is global consensus for action on climate change. Putting one country first can no longer be an option in a world that must shake off the “us and them” attitude and learn to work together on this issue， which is clearly a planetary problem. The negative effect of climate change knows no borders.