Not My Monkey

The world is changing, and it always will, however, the current changes benefit the few and impact the many. Some notable changes in the climate space have been the re-election of Donald Trump as the U.S. president; the negotiations as part of COP29; and the increased number of extreme weather events. This post specifically discusses the injustices and inequities that arise due to the re-election of the Republican party in the United States, specifically regarding climate change in the wider world.

U.S. Presidency

The majority of those who read this blog are based in the UK, however, there is a small number of you who live in America and therefore I want to discuss how the U.S. election affects the wider world, particularly developing countries. Trump has made it clear that when he takes office one of his first actions will be to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. This legally binding international treaty aims to reduce the amount of global greenhouse gases whilst adapting to the impacts of climate change, a result of the COP21 climate change conference. Offering long-term goals with firm commitments from 196 parties is one of the biggest driving forces in reducing climate change globally. Removing one of the most powerful countries in the world is going to significantly stump the positive effect of such movements. In 2020, the U.S. removed itself from the agreement after a four-year phasing-out process, and a year later it rejoined. Resigning from the treaty today will only take 12 months, leaving the president with three more years of his term without any report to the United Nations.

Influence

The U.S. is a highly influential company, and being at climate conferences is a huge driver to encourage other countries to get involved. However, this goes the other way also, while the U.S. is attending the Azerbaijan COP29 conference, anything negotiated by Joe Biden will not be binding for Trump. The U.S. being unable to produce a climate agenda encourages other countries to also withdraw their commitments. This particularly links to the law passed by Congress which states anything provided to tackle climate change by the United States must be matched by developing countries, so if the U.S. is not part of these negotiations, countries are relieved of their pressures and are less likely to commit.

Equity of Burden

America is the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide globally, right after China which bears the burden of our overconsumption. By removing itself from the Paris Agreement, the soon-to-be president is taking a stand to say the consequences of their actions are not his to bear. Furthermore, part of the agreement is to increase the funds given to developing countries, this is crucial to help them adapt to the effects of climate change, especially since it is rarely their actions causing such extreme events.

Resilience

Unfortunately, Trump is a huge fan of oil and gas, he plans to increase pipelines and fracking to supposedly lower energy prices for customers, but at what cost? There isn’t much point in having access to cheap energy if your house is not built to withstand the frequent extreme weather events. Hurricane Milton was the latest storm to hit Florida, killing 14 and leaving $50 billion of damages behind. Events like that are happening all over the globe, with the effects being much larger.

So, why is the U.S. election important to those who live beyond America? Well, the power and influence leading countries have over the rest of the world is astonishing, and without these key actors on board with climate change adaptation, progress will be slow and there is a likeliness of entering a ‘too little, too late’ period where the actions we as humans have taken cannot be reversed and our planet will forever be scarred.

To all those who celebrate, happy Thanksgiving!