Today, President Trump withdrew from the Paris climate accord, citing inequities in the plan that would negatively impact American jobs while handing decisive advantages to our competitors.
I agree; the Paris Accord is unfair to the United States. Under the accord we are committed to reducing our carbon output by 26-28% of 2005 levels by 2025, while our competitors have much more favorable terms. Note that it is these competitors who are now chastising us for pulling out of the Paris accord. They are upset, and rightfully so: we’ve leveled the playing field and forced them to compete with us on an equal energy footing.
Take China, for instance, who emits more carbon than anyone else. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proclaimed that:
… fighting global warming was a “global consensus” and an “international responsibility.”
Without mentioning the U.S. specifically, Li said that “China in recent years has stayed true to its commitment” and pointed out that his was one of the first countries to ratify the 2015 Paris Agreement.
I would sign on to the accord, too, if I had China’s terms. Their commitment to the Paris accord: to peak their emissions (without limit) by 2030. Not to reduce their emissions (not one iota), but only to stop increasing emissions by 2030. Really. How is this fair to U.S. producers? Give the U.S. the same limits that China enjoys and I’m sure President Trump would sign on in a second. It’s no wonder the stock market hit a record peak Thurday, the same day Trump made his announcement to quit the accord.
The complaint by countries who have no commitment to lower emissions under the agreement is tantamount to those people who pay no taxes but receive government “benefits” chastising those who don’t want to pay their “fair share” of taxes.
Oh, wait…
For the record: I am a scientist, and I can tell you that climate change due to human activity is real. However, I do not know whether the impact of this climate change will be overall substantially negative; no one really can. Those they claim they can are being naive; the world’s ecosystem is sufficiently complex that it is unreasonable to make such claims. We can’t even accurately predict weather over extended periods.
That being said, I’d rather not gamble with all human life on Earth. I know how we fare in the current climate, and I’d like to see it continue. As a result I believe that carbon emission management is important, and I hope that we can find a way back into the environmental fold. However, it needs to be on equal footing for all participants.