The United States has officially decided today to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement to invigorate the global fight against climate change, as President Joe Biden's administration plans for significant emission reductions over the next three decades.
Scientists and foreign diplomats welcomed Washington's return to the agreement, which became official 30 days after Biden issued an executive order on this step on his first day in office. The administration of former President Donald Trump had officially announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in June 2017. It is worth noting that the United States is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
The Paris Climate Agreement is the first global accord addressing climate change, stemming from negotiations held during the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015. The agreement was designed to be fair, balanced, and legally binding, aiming to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at levels that allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, thus protecting humans from the risks of food and water shortages and enabling sustainable economic development.
The Paris Climate Agreement was attended by 195 countries, including major players such as China, Russia, India, Japan, Brazil, Germany, Canada, South Korea, France, Iran, and Turkey. As of now, 147 countries have completed the ratification process for this agreement, which was adopted in December 2015 in the French capital under the supervision of the United Nations. It is important to note that the major economies yet to ratify it are Russia and Turkey.
