The US officially rejoined the Paris global climate accord on Friday. Nearly 200 nations have signed the accord drafted to limit global warming and its effects. All the signee nations have vowed to limit their greenhouse emissions in an attempt to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
“Addressing the real threats from climate change and listening to our scientists is at the centre of our domestic and foreign policy priorities," Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told AP. Trump officially notified the UN of his decision to exit the Paris accords in 2019 and the US formally exited the Paris accord after the one year waiting period ended in 2020. When the US exited the Paris accord, there was fear that other nations would follow suit and exit the accord. US President Joe Biden, hours after being sworn-in, signed an executive order setting off the process 30-day process for the US to rejoin the pact.
The Biden administration has said it would make climate change an important part of its foreign policy. Trump's withdrawal from the Paris accord made the US the first nation to exit the pact. World leaders anticipate the US to make a statement in the coming months on its goal for cutting down heat-trapping gases by 2030. UN Secretary-General Anthony Guterres said that re-entry of the US is very important.
The US, under the Obama administration, had vowed to cut down carbon emissions by 26 per cent-28 per cent by 2025, in comparison to 2005 levels. In the first two years of the Trump administration, emissions increased slightly as Trump rolled back carbon pollution limits from power plants, cars, trucks and fossil fuel operations.
