Context: The US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, dealing a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming.
Relevance of the topic:
Prelims: Questions related to Paris climate deal and NDCs of India.
Mains: Impact of US withdrawal from Paris climate deal.
About Paris Climate Agreement
- The Paris Climate Agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels.
- Adopted in: It was adopted by 196 Parties in 2015, during the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, at Paris, France.
- Key Features of the Climate deal:
- Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Each country sets its own emission reduction targets, with updates every five years to enhance ambition.
- Global Stocktake: A periodic review of the progress on climate action at global level (not the national level) and identify overall gaps, conducted every five years.
- Climate Finance: Developed countries pledged to mobilise $100 billion annually by 2020 to support climate action in developing nations, with plans for scaling this amount post-2025.
- Adaptation and Resilience: Focuses on helping countries adapt to climate impacts and build resilience against future challenges.
- Significance of Paris Climate Deal: First universal, legally binding, global climate deal. It emphasises global cooperation, fairness, and a commitment to sustainable development while recognising the individual capacities of nations.
Reasons for the US to pull-out from deal:
- Perceived economic disadvantages: Donald Trump argues that agreement imposed unfair economic burden on US like;
- Impact on US industries: The deal’s restrictions would harm key industries like coal, oil and natural gas, leading to job loss.
- Hamper competitiveness of the US market as more restrictions are imposed on the US as compared to nations like China and India.
- America first policy: Trump’s policy is to prioritise domestic growth and is skeptical of multilateral agreement that acts as a barrier to MAGA (Make America Great Again) policy of the USA.
- Skeptical on Climate change: Trump has opposed the conception of climate change claiming them as a means to distract the masses from economic development.
- Claims discriminatory: Trump claims the treaty to be discriminatory as the nationally determined targets are different for the US and other nations like China and India.
Global Impacts
- Climate funding disruptions: The US plays a pivotal role in financing climate initiatives, but US withdrawal will lead to the disruptions in the Climate change fund for mitigating climate change.
- Accelerated climate change: The US has shifted focus again to the fossil fuel based energy that can accelerate climate change and global warming.
- Enhanced vulnerability: The US withdrawal will lead to rise in the vulnerability of the island nations and coastal regions, leading to climate-led disasters.
- Cascading impact: The US withdrawal may set a precedent for other nations to withdraw from the climate deal, hampering the targets of the deal.
Suggestive Measures
- Policy change: India can make emission norms stringent and invest in Green technology.
- Long-term investments: India should invest in climate-resilient infrastructure under CDRI initiative to prepare for climate change.
- Diversification of partnership: India should strengthen alliance with other nations and international organisations to secure alternate mechanisms of funding. E.g., Green bonds and climate change bonds.
- Promoting regional cooperation: India can explore pooling of funds from regional organisations like BRICS to find an alternative to the Paris climate deal.
- Private partnership: Nations can explore more private funding by enhancing pollution obligations on private organisations.