The Paris Agreement will not solve climate change, even if all its goals are met, but it is a resounding first step, President Obama said in a speech to the nation Saturday.
“We cannot be complacent because of today’s agreement,” he said. “The problem’s not solved because of this accord. But, make no mistake, the Paris Agreement establishes the enduring framework the world needs to solve the climate crisis.”
The accord offers our “best chance to save the one planet we have,” Obama said.
Obama celebrated the unanimous passage of the Paris Agreement at the 21st Conference of the Parties in the French capital that concluded Saturday afternoon. The agreement is the first global agreement on climate change in history.
So far, 186 countries of the 196 that signed the accord have made commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions. When taken together, those countries account for 95 percent of the globe’s greenhouse gases.
Parts of the agreement are legally binding, but the agreement will not be ratified by the Senate. According to senior White House officials, the portions of the deal that are legally binding can take effect under executive action. The most important parts of the agreement, funding for developing countries tackling climate change and greenhouse gas emission cuts, are not in the legally binding portion of the agreement.
Obama said the American people could be proud of the deal, which includes much of the language and provisions the U.S. delegation sought.
“We’ve transformed the United States into being the global leader on combating climate change,” he said.
The pact between 196 countries allows each of them, voluntarily, to set emissions reductions targets that will be reviewed every five years starting in 2023. The United States has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions between 26 and 28 percent over 2005 levels by 2030.
The agreement seeks to hold global temperature rise “well below” 2 degrees Celsius, about 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, with an eye toward keeping it below 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s an ambitious goal, one that scientists wonder is even possible to achieve: The globe has already warmed 1 degree Celsius, or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, above pre-industrial levels. The commitments from countries at the conference would only limit global temperature rise to 2.7 degrees Celsius, or nearly 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
“We met the moment,” Obama said.
The agreement would see the countries agree to peak greenhouse gas emissions “as soon as possible,” with rapid reductions coming after emissions peak. Although it is couched in diplomatic terms, the agreement also calls for countries to work toward 100 percent renewable energy.
Obama said he hoped to see the private sector lead the way in developing green technologies. He pointed to the work already done by the United States to cut carbon dioxide emissions as being led by the private sector and not by the government.
“Skeptics said these actions would kill jobs. Instead, we’ve seen the longest streak of private sector job creation in our history,” Obama said, neglecting to mention that one sector that’s shrinking precipitously is the fossil fuel industry. “We’ve driven our economic output to all-time highs while pushing our carbon emissions down to the lowest level in nearly two decades.”
The language in the deal states countries have “common but differentiated” responsibility to fight climate change. Countries with low emissions will be required to do less under the agreement than high-emission nations.
The agreement also requires developed countries to provide financial resources to developing countries under international law. This has been a major sticking point for Republicans in Congress who have rejected the notion of sending billions abroad to developing countries to help fight the effects of climate change.
Obama has so far pledged $3 billion to a so-called Green Climate Fund for developing countries, much to the chagrin of his opponents in Congress. The agreement requires developed countries set a goal of providing $100 billion annually to developing countries by 2020.
The agreement “strongly urges” countries to ramp up their contributions to developing countries by 2020.
Obama said the agreement shows the world has the will to fight climate change. Now, it must implement the agreement and all the individual commitments made before Paris, he said.
“We may not live to see the full realization of our achievement but that’s OK,” he said. “What matters is that today we can be more confident this planet will be in better shape for the next generation.”
