International community in suspense over the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement

The announcement of the new president of the United States, Donald Trumpthat he will once again withdraw the country from Paris Climate Agreement has raised concern in the international and scientific community, which has called for continued cooperation to combat climate change.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyendefined the Paris Agreement as “the greatest hope for humanity” during his speech at the Davos Forum and reaffirmed his commitment to decarbonization.

“Europe will stay the course and continue working with all nations that want to protect nature and stop global warming,” said Von der Leyen, who assured that they will work not only with “always friends” but with any country with which they share interests because “the next few years will be crucial beyond Europe.

(Also read: What implications would the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO have? Experts analyze)

The European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, spoke in the same vein, regretting Trump’s decision in statements conveyed to EFE by his team and pointing out that, despite “this setback”, the bloc will try to work with the US. . and the rest of the international partners to address “the urgent issue of climate change“.

On Monday, UN Secretary General António Guterres had already said that the US must remain “leader in environmental issues” and encouraged “cities, states and companies” in the country to continue “demonstrating vision and leadership” by working towards a low-carbon economy.

The United States, one of the countries that pollute the most

In addition to the lack of funding, the international community is concerned that The United States is the second country that generates the most CO2 worldwide, a gas from the burning of fossil fuels, which is largely responsible for global warming.

According to data from the European Union, the first place is occupied Chinawith 30.1% of total emissions. In the next position is the United States, with a 12.3%and finally India, with a 7.8%.

“We will end the new green energy agreements and revoke the electric vehicle mandate,” reported the newly sworn president of one of the most powerful nations in the world.

Juan José Guzmán, an expert in adaptation to climate change, told Noticias Caracol that countries vulnerable to this factor expected the United States to participate in the new financing mechanisms for adaptation, loss and damage.

But in addition, according to Guzmán, it also implies a unequal fight in regards to the efforts maintained by other countries that continue with the Paris Agreement.

“The unfair thing about the whole issue of climate change is that on many occasions, as will happen in the case of the United States these years, Whoever receives the benefit of creating the crisis we are in by emitting greenhouse gases, burning fossil fuels and so on is not usually the one who pays the costs of climate change“, he noted.

According to the European Union, by 2023 the average American will emit 13.83 tons of CO2 per year, while the average Colombian will emit 1.97. That is to say, An average American emits CO2 equivalent to what almost 7 Colombians produce per year.

On behalf of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), its spokesperson, Clare Nullis, defended at a press conference that climate change follows “non-negotiable” laws of physics that “must be seen with a perspective of decades or centuries, more than in a four-year term”.

And he recalled that the United States is also one of the great victims of meteorological disasters: “The country’s own figures estimate that it has suffered more than 400 climatic disasters since 1980, with losses of more than 2.9 trillion dollars.”

With this measure, the United States will join the short list of countries that have abandoned the Paris Agreement, including Iran or Yemen, in a year in which the signatory countries have to present their plans to cut emissions.