Pelosi’s Paris Ploy

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the United Nations climate summit in Madrid that the United States is “still in” the Paris Climate Agreement.  “Our delegation is here to send a message that Congress’s commitment to take action on the climate crisis is iron clad,” she said.

Clearly Pelosi can speak for the Democratic majority in the House, but the Paris agreement is another matter entirely.

Recall that the 2015 agreement by more than 190 nations was accepted by President Obama through an executive order.  Obama never submitted it to Congress because he knew it would not pass.

When Donald Trump took office, he announced plans to withdraw from the agreement. “What we won’t do is punish the American people while enriching foreign polluters,” Trump said.

The Paris agreement is non-binding, voluntary pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Supporters argued the agreement was an important framework by industrialized nations to do something about climate change, but there were few specifics on how to reach the goals.

The lack of any enforcement mechanism meant for some countries the only change was a promise to try to reduce emissions.  China pledged to begin reducing emissions by 2030, but it is headed in the opposite direction.

The Financial Times reported recently, “China is set to add new coal-fired power plants equivalent to the European Union’s entire capacity, as the worlds biggest energy consumer ignores global pressure to rein in carbon emissions in its bid to boost a slowing economy.”

The U.S. may be ignoring the Paris agreement, but CO2 emissions are coming down anyway.  The EPA reports CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion decreased nearly 15 percent from 2005 levels to 2017.  One of the main reasons for the reduction is a trend away from coal to natural gas and renewables for electricity generation.

Ted Nace, head of Global Energy Monitor, told the Financial Times that China’s thirst for cheap energy by building more coal-fired power plants is “swamping” global progress in bringing down emissions.

Climate change is real.  A recent Pew Research poll found that 67 percent of Americans believe the federal government is not doing enough to reduce the effects of global climate change. But should America have to risk the pain of slower economic growth while China and India increase their CO2 emissions?

The Paris agreement is a convenient talking point. If you are for it, then you’re concerned about the climate. If you are against it, then you are a climate change denier. The truth, as usual, is more complicated.

 





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