War on global warming still on despite US withdrawal

African climate activists have called on the rest of the world to "hold historic emitters like the US under the watch of Donald Trump to account", hours after President Trump withdrew his country from the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The accord, signed on December 13 in Le Bourget, France, by 197 countries and ratified by 147, aims to curb global greenhouse gas emissions by preventing global temperatures from rising by more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and also to keep the increase to less than 1.5 degrees to contain the effects of climate change.

CLIMATE CRISIS

It was to come into effect in 2020. However, Mr Trump said the deal instead would damage US economic prospects.

He said if Washington secures a better deal, it may try to rejoin the pact.

The Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) says that as a result of the pulling out of the US, people power and international solidarity are the only hope to fight off the climate crisis.

PACJA Secretary-General Mithika Mwenda says the quest for a better environment will not be tossed aside.

"It will take all of us around the world, organising together, to ensure our governments also do their fair share of climate action in the next four years to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. Trump's decision doesn't change that," he said.

MONEY PLEDGED

This is because the United States, under then President Barack Obama, pledged to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 26 per cent by 2025, and committed up to $3 billion in aid to poorer countries by 2020 to help them adjust to the effects of climate change.

So far, $1 billion has been dispatched.

Wealthy nations agreed to provide $100 billion annually to enable developing nations to move away from fossil fuels and use more renewable energy sources.

The healthier alternative would create more jobs and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, which pollute the environment.

FIGHTING GLOBAL WARMING

The US withdrawal will likely weaken the global efforts in addressing climate change, particularly because other countries may relax their efforts to curb greenhouse gases.

According to TheNew York Times, developing countries like India, Indonesia and the Philippines "might be more reluctant to tackle their emissions if the United States pulled back on promised aid to help them adjust to the worst effects of climate change".

Despite the US action, according to The Times, leaders in Europe, China and India have insisted that they would continue addressing global warming. But the "precise shape of future climate talks remains an open question".

LOCAL CHAMPIONS

More importantly, the article indicates that California and New York intend to carry on with their own programmes to "clean up power plants and vehicles.

"And the private sector is already shifting towards cleaner energy: cheap natural gas and renewables will continue to drive the retirement of coal plants," the newspaper said

Nonetheless, the Trump-led nation "would be doing far less about global warming than it otherwise might have done".

This is because, it says, an examination by the Rhodium Group, which analyses disruptive worldwide trends, approximated that, under President Trump’s policies, "United States emissions will now most likely fall 15 to 19 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025, rather than the 26 to 28 per cent that the Obama administration pledged".

INCREASE EFFORTS

During the Conference of Parties 21 (COP21), that is the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, African countries demanded compensation for the effects of the menace, ranging from desertification to forest degradation.

Erik Solheim, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said the US decision does not "bring an end to this unstoppable effort".

"There is incredible momentum on climate action from individual states, cities, the private sector and citizens.

"A single political decision will not derail this unparalleled effort. UN Environment urges all parties to redouble their efforts. We will work with everyone willing to make a difference," he said.

Solheim added that the Paris Agreement is founded on clear evidence, solid science and incredible international collaboration.

"It will put aside differences to tackle a common, monumental challenge. The reversal of damage to the ozone layer proves that such a global effort can succeed.

"Ultimately, this is an investment in our own survival that no-one can afford to abandon."