6/22/2018

Controlling the Climate

By Dan Newton

The topic of climate change has been around for quite some time now. It
has been a debate for governments, scientists, farmers, and the average person
on what is true or false. With more and more research that continues to be
collected, I think it is undisputable that our world is changing. There have been
many different theories of what this data actually means. As President Trump
says “climate change is a hoax” which the data says quite the opposite. I think
the Presidents actions to withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Accord
could have serious effects on future generations.

An article in the theguardian says “There’s a 97% expert consensus that humans
are causing global warming, and the scientific research is clear that the
consequences of continued rapid climate change could be devastating for the
economy and for all species on Earth.” I don’t know how someone could claim
that all of these scientists are wrong. The research has been conducted by
experts in climate sciences and earth sciences. “The case for the Trump
administration approach – ignoring and casting doubt on the conclusions of
climate science experts – is that of a bad gambler.” Says Dana Nuccitelli from
The Guardian. I would agree with Nuccitelli’s statement the risk of denying that
humans are contributing to warmer temperatures is a danger to all life on earth.
The evidence of the damage already done by our actions is just absurd to ignore.
So what does it mean for our country and the world that America has withdrawn
from the Paris Climate Accord? The purpose of the Paris Climate deal was to
have the 195 different countries of the world work together to prevent the
climate from exceeding the 2 degrees’ Celsius mark. And now that America has
excluded themselves from this deal, many are wondering if others are to follow
in our footsteps. An article from The New York Times says, “But the United
States will be doing far less about global warming than it otherwise might have
done. In 2015, the Obama administration vowed to cut greenhouse gas
emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 as part of the Paris deal.”
A survey from the Rhodium Group says, “under Mr. Trump’s policies, United
States emissions will now most likely fall just 15 to 19 percent below 2005 levels
by 2025.” What seems to be one of the biggest concerns is since the United
States has withdrawn how the others countries will react. What is the incentive
for the smaller countries if the U.S. isn’t willing to help reduce their emissions?
“Other governments and industries could say, if the United States is being less
ambitious, why should we take on these extra costs? said Elliot Diringer,
executive vice president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.”

From a article in The Washington Post, it says even though the Trump
administration has pulled out of the Paris deal many U.S. companies would
continue with clean energy. Jessica F. Green claims, “States, cities and many
companies in the United States realize that sensible climate policy is, well,
sensible.” So even though Trump has pulled out of the Paris climate Accord I
think the U.S. is still committed to contribute to cleaner energy. I think the
people can see the benefits of producing clean energy and the benefits towards
our planet. So it made me wonder does it really matter that the U.S. is exiting
the Paris agreement? From an article in the The Washington Post it says
“Although the Trump administration is working hard on rolling back climate
policies, we do not yet see an effect on our projections of greenhouse gas
emissions,” said Niklas Höhne, a founder of NewClimate Institute and professor
at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. “In fact, still it’s the opposite. We
have revised our projections for the U.S. in 2030 downward because there have
been more renewables online and less coal.”

So in conclusion was trump wrong to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord? I
say yes, because it has left corporations and other countries wondering where
the United States stands on its policies. I think more than anything it puts a
wedge between the U.S. and the rest of the world. When such an issue effects
the whole world it’s selfish of the U.S. to not contribute. “President Donald
Trump faced a chorus of global disapproval Friday in the wake of his decision to
pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, with allies
and rivals uniting to accuse him of failing future generations.” An article from
cnn. So, although I think we will continue to see improvements from the U.S. for

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the climate. The decision from the Trump administration is a bad move as a
nation and a step in the wrong direction for humanity.