Pulling Out of Paris Climate Accord / Brooke Gladstone
Donald Trump withdrew the nation from the Paris Climate Accord last week; the 2015 accord demonstrated a non-binding commitment by 195 countries to reduce green-house gas emissions, mitigate carbon pollution and transition industries away from carbon-based energy sources. The United States joins Nicaragua and Syria as the only countries not committed to the agreement.
The response to this decision has been mixed. U.S. Representative Patrick Meehan, a Republican representing Pennsylvania’s 7th congressional district, opposes the withdraw, stating “It calls into question our commitment to protecting and preserving the environment. And it forfeits our ability to drive countries like China and India to reduce their carbon footprint and compete on a level playing field. Ultimately, this disappointing decision diminishes America’s leadership role on the world stage.”
PA’s Representative Keith Rothfus, (R-12th) supports the withdraw, saying “The Paris agreement is not about climate. It is about control. It certainly is not about growth; it is about redistribution. We have a moral responsibility to create a much healthier economy that will increase jobs and increase wages.”
John Dernbach, director of the Environmental Law and Sustainability Center and Donald Brown, Scholar in Residence for Sustainability Ethics and Law; both of Widener University’s Commonwealth Law School.
Smart Talk will discuss the merits and drawbacks of pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord with John Dernbach, director of the Environmental Law and Sustainability Center and Donald Brown, Scholar in Residence for Sustainability Ethics and Law; both of Widener University’s Commonwealth Law School.
“Even if the Paris Agreement were implemented in full, with total compliance from all nations, it is estimated it would only produce a two-tenths of one degree — think of that; this much — Celsius reduction in global temperature by the year 2100. Tiny, tiny amount.” – President Trump explaining why he pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord on Thursday (photo: Reuters)
Also, Smart Talk speaks with Brooke Gladstone, the Peabody award winning co-host of WNYC’s On the Media (Mondays, 2pm-3pm on WITF 89.5 FM) about fake news, alternative facts, social media, satire sites and navigating the news in the Trump Era. Her new book, The Trouble with Morality: A Rumination on Moral Panic in Our Time, looks at the truth and deceit that intertwine to create the current political narrative and how reality became subject to interpretation and addresses what Gladstone illustrates as an “epic existential battle.”
Brooke Gladstone – co-host, WNYC’s On the Media
emails
– I’m an energy analyst living in Enola, PA and wanted to share these data points.
- The cost of commercial wind has fallen 66% in the last 7 years and commercial solar has fallen 84% in the last 7 years
- Solar and wind are now cheaper than coal in most of the U.S. and most of the world
- Partly due to these new economics, last year in the U.S. 67% of all new power plant capacity were wind and solar plants
- Globally 51% of all new power plants built in 2016 were wind and solar
A politician promising to re-open coal mines and coal plants might as well promise to bring back Blockbuster video stores too. – Jesse, Enola
– I am opposed to the US withdrawal from the Paris Accord for environmental reasons, but I am also concerned about the political impact. I believe our withdrawal from the Accord is a de facto withdrawal from worldwide leadership, which will be seen in the future as the defining moment in the decline of our nation, economically and politically. – Lisa
– Don’t forget that reforestation of the millions of acres of former minelands can be part of the solution. – Joe
– Tree hugers are raised on concrete, reality people are suburban agri oriented. – Edward
