America is Falling Behind On Its Paris Climate Pledge (technologyreview.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: The US remains well behind pace to meet its commitments to cut greenhouse-gas emissions under the landmark Paris climate agreement. Under current policies, the nation will reduce climate pollution between 12 and 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2025, according to a Rhodium Group analysis published today. That's well below the 26 to 28 percent target agreed to under the Paris accords. The report estimates that total emissions between 2020 and 2030 could be 196 million metric tons lower than Rhodium projected last year. That's due to an increase in the number of planned coal plant closures, as well as the falling costs of natural gas, renewables, and electric vehicles. Slower economic growth forecasts were also a factor.

Comments

Paris Climate Agreement

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean the same 'Paris Climate Agreement' that we ARE NOT A PART OF??

The OP seems to have forgotten that part.

Re:Paris Climate Agreement

[higuita]

Since it is a voluntary pledge made by your president as representative for the USA, you are still part of it, no congress approval needed...
As it is voluntary, you can still ignore it, but the treaty was signed anyway!

And as the current president only announced that they would exist it, but only in 2020, that pledge is still in effect (but again, you can ignore it without any problem other than destroying the planet where you and your family and friends live!!)

We withdrew from the Paris agreement

[XXongo]

I don't understand the article.

The U.S. has no commitments to the Paris agreements; we withdrew from them in 2017.

Re:We withdrew from the Paris agreement

[borcharc]

This was never ratified by the Senate, President Obama's signature was conditional on ratification. The US has no obligations under the Paris agreement and never did.

Re:We withdrew from the Paris agreement

[Chris Mattern]

The US government didn't agree to it. Obama agreed to it. Without any backing from Congress. And now Obama's gone.

Re:We withdrew from the Paris agreement

[Wrath0fb0b]

President of the United States Obama agreed to it, and by the laws of the United States, the United States agreed to it.

The law in the United States is that the President may agree to treaties only with the consent of the Senate.

[The President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;

Re:We withdrew from the Paris agreement

[Anonymous Coward]

Take your racism elsewhere.

Nice logic! Take your ignorant stupidity elsewhere.

The President of the United States -- whether they are black, white, or mellow yellow colored -- cannot ratify treaties without the approval of Congress. Then-President Obama tried to do an end-run around the US Congress and, because of it, a major part of his legacy was easily undone. It is the same reason that, for his legacy, the best thing that he did with the ACA was going through Congress to get it implemented.

https://harvardlawreview.org/2014/01/limits-on-the-treaty-power/

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gives the President the power “to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.”

And, as such, please stop commenting on political discussions because you clearly have no educated place in them.

Re:We withdrew from the Paris agreement

[sexconker]

The US never entered into any binding agreement. A former President made a personal promise. He had no authority to enter the US into such an agreement. The US is not a party to any such agreement.

Re:We withdrew from the Paris agreement

[jwhyche]

We never had any commitments to this agreement. Obama made the agreement on his own accord and not with the backing of congress. This pretty much makes it worthless.

What we are seeing is people trying to guilt us back into the agreement so the money can keep flowing. This was nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to transfer wealth to 3rd world nations.

Re:We withdrew from the Paris agreement

[quantaman]

We never had any commitments to this agreement. Obama made the agreement on his own accord and not with the backing of congress. This pretty much makes it worthless.

What we are seeing is people trying to guilt us back into the agreement so the money can keep flowing. This was nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to transfer wealth to 3rd world nations.

You really expect a developing economy, responsibly for almost none of the accumulated CO2 in the atmosphere and very little of the new CO2, to be held to the same standard as rich developed economies who got rich by doing exactly the thing we want those developing nations to avoid?

Of course any climate deal is going to involve wealth transfers to developing countries.

Re:We withdrew from the Paris agreement

[jwhyche]

u? Are you really that retarded?

If you can't have a discussion with out having to use personal insults then you have no discussion to bring to the table. You are not here to debate you are here to argue. Change your tone and I'll answer your question. Till then you are not worth my time.

Re:hmm

[Austerity Empowers]

Sometimes when you pull out you get left with 20 years of trouble

hardy har har

[Archfeld]

Why should the US give a fsck about the climate in Paris... I predict severe smug storms, with heavy condescension.

Re: Not a surprise

[jwhyche]

hy would climate change solutions kill people? There's a fairly clear path forward on fixing climate change now. The first step doesn't even touch oil or other farm chemicals.

There are some well developed plans to fight climate change that don't involve people starving, or economies collapsing. Looking at what you posted and it looks like the start of a good plan.

The problem is these plans take time to put in place. You stated if put in place "aggressively." There in lies the problem. Such radical changes can not take place over night. Infrastructure has to be developed, people educated, and equipment built. We can't not just flip a switch and change the nature of the beast.

People don't think about this and want change Now. They don't think about the consequences of rapid change.