Question

Ethics view on United States leaving the Paris Climate Agreement

Answer 1

The Paris agreement is an effort to bring the world community on a common platform and stregthen the global response to the climate change by unified approach to deal with the issue through reduced emissions. The countries which are signatory to the agreement have pledged to work towards keeping the termperature rise under 2 degrees celcius as compared to the pre industrial levels, and idealy aiming to limit it to 1.5 degrees. The goal calls for herculean effort on the part of all countries, with higher responsibilities on the shoulders of big pollutors.

By exiting the agreement, the US is the only country in the world to be out of the agreement. Being one of the largest contributors to the global emissions, exit of the US means, a significant effort towards the laid down targets will be lost. With this, a hard fought achievement of establishment of a common consensus will become futile. If US agrees to join it with all new set of conditions, it will surely dilute the provisions and the level of commitment to reduce the emissions.It will also deter the progress of the efforts towards checking of climate changes, which are threatening to become out of control and irreversible with every passing day. In addition, the withdrawl of US may spell doom for many countries who will bear the brunt of the changes in more severe manner, some fighting for their existence due to rising water levels and deluge that will follow.