December 13, 2017

Two years ago yesterday, Dec. 12, nearly 200 countries came to a consensus that greenhouse emissions — mostly caused by the burning of fossil fuels — had to be drastically cut if we were to halt the planetary-changing consequences of a choking atmosphere.

A central goal set by the Paris Agreement was to keep global temperatures during this century from rising more than 3.6 degrees F (2.0 degrees C) above pre-industrial times — with an eye on aiming to keep the rise even lower — to 1.5 degrees C. Another was to review each country's contribution to cutting emissions every five years to make sure they keep up with the challenge.

To attain this, rich countries are supposed to contribute $100 billion a year by 2020, so that poor nations can cope with climate change.

In August, the Trump administration pulled out of the agreement, claiming it to be a bad deal for America.

Read more:

https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/12/13/570471177/without-the-u-s-government-the-world-unites-to-fight-climate-change