NEWS
Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, has long been a vocal skeptic of climate change and global warming.
Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, has long been a vocal skeptic of climate change and global warming. In fact, he once called climate change “a hoax created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” His stance on climate change has been a controversial one, both domestically and internationally.
During his presidency, Trump rolled back a number of environmental regulations and withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement. The Paris agreement, which was signed in 2015 by 195 countries, aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with the goal of keeping it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Trump’s decision to withdraw from the agreement was met with widespread criticism from environmentalists, scientists, and world leaders. The move made the United States the only country in the world to have withdrawn from the agreement.
Trump’s stance on climate change has also been a point of contention with some members of his own administration. In 2017, the New York Times reported that a number of top officials in the Trump administration were trying to convince him to stay in the Paris agreement, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry.
Despite Trump’s skepticism of climate change, the scientific community is in agreement that it is a real and pressing issue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at their current rate, global temperatures could rise by as much as 4.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. This would have catastrophic consequences, including rising sea levels, more frequent and severe weather events, and mass extinctions of plant and animal species.
While Trump’s position on climate change has been controversial, it has also galvanized a movement of activists, scientists, and concerned citizens who are working to combat global warming. Groups like the Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion have organized protests and demonstrations calling for urgent action on climate change.
In the wake of Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement, other countries have stepped up their commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2060. The European Union has set a target of reducing its emissions by at least 55% by 2030, and many other countries have set similar goals.
In conclusion, Donald Trump’s skepticism of climate change and global warming has been a controversial and divisive issue. While his policies have been criticized by many, they have also sparked a movement of concerned citizens who are working to combat climate change. As the world faces the urgent threat of global warming, it is more important than ever for countries to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the planet for future generations.
