On Monday, January 20, 2025, for the second time, President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement. The climate accord was first negotiated in 2015 as a global attempt to cut greenhouse gas emissions, limit global warming, and attempt to stall the impact of climate change. Trump was able to pull out of the accord through an executive order which directs the U.S ambassador to the United Nations to formally withdraw. President Trump had previously withdrawn from the agreement in 2017 during his first term. Trump claims that the agreement is unfair to American industries.
“I’m immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris climate accord rip-off,” President Trump said to NPR news. “The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity.”
Along with pulling out of the Paris Agreement, another executive order that has been put into place is the “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements.” It is a specific executive order that halts and revokes any previous financial commitment that had been made by the United States under the United Nations framework convention on climate change. On part of his first day, President Trump rolled out 20 plus executive orders, including a potential pause of the Tik Tok ban, a pardon of the January 6th rioters, and pulling out of the World Health Organizations. President Trump also rescinded 78 of the orders that were previously signed by former President Joe Biden
From the United Nations Climate Change Page, climate change refers to the longer term shift in temperature and weather patterns. A major contributor to climate change is greenhouse gas emissions, which encases the atmosphere with air pollution, then proceeds to trap sun rays within the atmosphere and raises the global temperature. Greenhouse gases mainly come from the oil and gas operations which produce methane emission into the atmosphere. Although climate change is a humanitarian issue, some countries produce more greenhouse gases than others. The majority of those pollutants are emitted by China, The United States of America and India.
Under the Paris Agreement, all 175 countries that are involved in the accord agreed to have a goal of limiting the global temperature to 1.5 degrees celsius or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. 2024 was recorded to be one of the hottest years on record ever, with some global temperatures rising above 1.5 degree celsius according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Along with temperature rises, citizens have begun to start to see the effects of climate change in weather. As of right now, there are still major wildfires burning in Los Angeles from the extreme temperatures and the Santa Ana winds. This just months after the devastating hurricanes that hit communities from Florida and North Carolina, where temperature rises in the Gulf of America (Mexico) increased the pressure of the hurricanes.
“I just think about my family in the future, and I want my kids to relish in the beauty and joy of nature,” said the founder of the DRHS environmental club, Ana Jankovic. “I love skiing, mountain biking and all these activities and how that wouldn’t be possible without the environment. So we need to preserve it.”
According to NASA, the effects of climate change are no longer a future problem. The Earth’s global temperature is expected to constantly rise though the next couple of decades. The severity of climate change is based on humans’ future activities with taking care of the climate. As more greenhouse gas emissions will lead to more extreme changes in climates and weather, which will all have long lasting effects. Scientists at NASA have a few expectations of changes in the climate, which include a rise in sea level, strong and more intense hurricanes like the ones in the fall of 2024, increased drought and heat waves, longer wildfire seasons and longer frost freeze and growing season, all along with increase in global temperatures.
“Climate change has a huge effect on the ocean — not only does it harm the corals, but it also changes the ocean acidity which can cause extreme effects on wildlife,” DRHS senior and future marine science student Nani Sluiter said. “In addition, as the Earth heats up, glaciers melt, resulting in rising sea levels which has a domino effect on tropical island and marine ecosystems.”
Many countries have begun to implement renewable energy sources to start to combat climate change. The introduction of renewable energy sources, like wind, water, and solar energy, have delayed or minimized the use of fossil fuels. Along with the minimal use of fossil fuels, renewable energy creates three times more jobs than compared to the fossil industry. An estimated growth of 9 million clean renewable energy jobs are planned to be created by 2030. Wind technicians and solar panel installers are becoming some of the fastest growing jobs in America. There is a range of opportunities within the renewable energy job market, with positions that provide on-the-job training for those ready to learn or positions for those with higher education or prior work experience.
For anyone interested in a career in renewable energy, visit Get Into Energy for more information, and for anyone interested in learning more about climate change visit the United Nations Climate Change page.
