College Republican view

The United States should not rejoin the Paris Climate Accord unless it is made more effective. 

In 2017, President Trump announced the U.S. would cease all participation in the Paris Agreement. He cited how the accord undermines the U.S. economy and puts us at a disadvantage. He claims withdrawing will help American businesses and workers.

Young Republicans aren’t arguing the Earth isn’t heating, we just want more effective policies that don’t trample on our liberty and freedom. Keeping this in mind, since the United States plans on leaving the accord, we need to come together with other world leaders in order to combat warming in a more effective manner. 

The reason the United States should not rejoin the Paris Climate Accord is because the accord is ineffective. It is not doing enough to curb carbon emissions. 

According to a 2017 article in the National Geographic, “…the UN Environment Program finds that if action to combat climate change is limited to just current pledges, the Earth will get at least three degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer by 2100…” This amount of warming would exceed the goal that was agreed upon, which is to limit warming to two degrees Celsius. 

The Paris Accord has countries submit pledges in the form of nationally determined contributions to greenhouse emissions. However, if countries don’t follow their pledges, they basically get a slap on the wrist and are told to do better next time; violating nations should receive a type of punishment if we are serious about changing the world. This current type of agreement will not be effective in combating warming and we need to do better.

The Paris Accord is a step in the right direction for international climate policy, but it is not adequate. We should be looking into more technological innovation and start embracing cleaner forms of energy, such as solar power.