One of President Joe Biden’s initiating actions as President was to sign an executive order to rejoin the Paris Accord Climate agreement, an environmental agreement President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2017. 

The Paris Accord was created in 2015 and now, with the addition of the United States, has 190 countries that have signed onto the agreement. This agreement pledges to keep the increase in average global temperatures to less than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and preferably less than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Each country that signs onto the agreement has to make a pledge and a plan to lower their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as report accurate information about the process. 

From a clip posted on the BBC News website from June 2017, President Trump pulled out of the agreement because it “disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries”. President Trump believes this agreement placed a large burden on the United States with its enormous energy restrictions. Trump was equally concerned that China and Russia were not putting in as much sacrifice as the United States.  For example, China is allowed to continue to increase its carbon emissions till 2025 and continue to add coal powder plants. In another article on the Fox News website written on November 4, 2017, the agreement could lose Americans up to 2.7 million jobs according to a study done by the National Economic Research Association. 

On the other hand, an article written on June 1, 2017, in CNN Money stated the National Economic Research Association study has factuality to it, but neglected to mention the net change in jobs, meaning that a decrease in jobs in the coal or oil industry could be offset by the creation of jobs in the solar or hydropower sector. 

On January 20, 2020, Joe Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the agreement. In 2015, the United States was a key country in making up the agreement. It will be 30 days before the rejoining is official. The United States is the second-largest polluter of greenhouse gases next to China according to a January 20, 2021 article on NPR. This is Biden’s first step in his plan to make America carbon neutral by 2050. Joining back into the agreement will give the United States a seat at the table at conferences later this year in Glasgow to make new climate pledges.  

PHOTO CREDIT: CNBC.COM