Several recent studies have warned against the oppressive heatwaves occurring worldwide due to global warming in the coming years. Certainly, there is widespread concern about the climate changes taking place, which are already evident to some extent, with heavy rains or hot weather happening unusually and not in tune with historical seasonal trends. As a matter of fact, seasonal variations appear to be becoming increasingly unpredictable.
Paris Climate Agreement:
While recognising that global warming is causing such climate challenges and considering the urgency to address these issues, the Paris Climate Agreement committed all countries to collectively strive to keep global temperatures from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, or, failing that, to certainly keep it below a 2-degree Celsius increase.
Root Cause of Global Warming:
It is universally agreed that the root cause of global warming and the consequent climate crisis is the extensive use of fossil fuels, such as crude oil and coal, as well as natural gas to some extent, as energy sources. The use of crude oil and coal as energy sources leads to the emission of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrous oxide, which are harmful gases contributing to global warming. During the storage and transportation of natural gas, methane emissions occur, and methane is a particularly potent greenhouse gas. Apart from this, methane is also emitted from livestock, manure management, and other agricultural practices, as well as from landfills and the decay of organic waste.
Curbing the emission of these harmful gases is a prerequisite to preventing global warming.
Fossil Fuel Consumption Increasing:
While several countries have agreed to achieve zero emissions by different target dates, the reality on the ground is that reductions in the emission of harmful gases are not occurring, and, on the other hand, they seem to be increasing.
As a result of the increasing emission of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases due to the rising use of fossil fuels, global temperatures are increasing. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2024 is the warmest year on record, based on six international datasets.
Major producers and consumers of coal, such as China, India, Australia, and Indonesia, are not reducing their coal production but are instead increasing it as an energy source. Similarly, crude oil and natural gas producing countries, such as Russia, the USA, and countries in the Middle East, are increasing crude oil production instead of taking steps to reduce it.
Countries like China, India, and others are increasing coal production and its use to ensure energy security, as they are heavily dependent on coal as an energy source and do not have alternative sources like crude oil in adequate supply. In the case of Russia, Middle Eastern countries, the USA, and a few others, crude oil and natural gas production are being increased to meet the rise in global demand and ensure the economic stability of these countries that produce crude oil and natural gas. With regard to the emission of methane from livestock and other sources, no meaningful efforts have been made so far to reduce methane emissions.
Steps Taken So Far:
Steps have been taken to find eco-friendly substitutes for fossil fuels as energy sources by developing green hydrogen, biofuels, and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power. However, there are issues such as the high production cost of green hydrogen, which would be much higher than the production cost of grey hydrogen from natural gas, currently used extensively. Seasonal variations in the production of renewable power, low capacity utilisation, and other challenges also remain. Moreover, these substitute energy sources are unlikely to completely replace fossil fuels in the foreseeable future.
Talk in a Vacuum:
In this scenario, it is becoming increasingly evident that the lofty promises of achieving zero emissions within various timelines by different countries seem to be ending up as mere talk in a vacuum, as efforts are not matching the level of need due to technological and other constraints, and fossil fuel use is not being effectively reduced.
Thus, it appears that the complete elimination of fossil fuel use to achieve zero emissions is a daunting task, and it is unlikely to be realised anytime soon.
US President’s Decision:
In such conditions, US President Donald Trump, in one of his first executive orders after taking office, signed the decision to withdraw the USA from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement on January 20th. This decision has been severely criticised, and many countries have expressed shock. Critics of the US President have called his decision irresponsible, with some terming it as totally insensitive to the cause of climate protection.
However, the argument of the US President is that in the Paris Climate Agreement, the predominant responsibility for protecting the climate is placed on the USA and a few other developed countries, while more than 80% of countries, including major populous nations like China and India, are exempt from compliance. According to the US President, this imbalance would cause serious harm to the US economy.
Is the Stand of the US President Appropriate?
Considering the current global scenario, the US President may be justified in his own way in deciding to exit the Paris Climate Agreement from the perspective of the USA.
The challenging task of protecting the global climate requires international efforts from all countries. While asking a few countries to cut emissions while other coal and fossil fuel producing and consuming countries increase fossil fuel production and consumption will not contribute to reducing emissions globally.
The USA remains the world’s largest crude oil producer and achieved record production in 2023. It is also the largest producer of natural gas and, in 2022, became the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.
At the same time, it is necessary to recognise that as of 2022, the USA has achieved about one-third of its 2030 emission reduction goal. In the last weeks of his presidency, President Biden increased the US emission reduction commitment to 61-66% of 2005 levels by 2035. The scale of investments by the USA in renewable energy has vastly grown since 2017. At present, the USA is less reliant on coal. The USA has historically supported the EU’s anti-coal positions in climate negotiations.
Certainly, the USA is on par with a few developed countries and is much better placed than other nations in terms of research and development efforts to fine-tune and improve eco-friendly green hydrogen production technology, optimise renewable energy production, and promote algae biofuels, etc.
This suggests that the USA continues to move towards reducing emissions and cannot be faulted on this account.
Pot Calling the Kettle Black:
The withdrawal of the USA from the Paris Climate Agreement should not be misconstrued as a withdrawal of its commitment to reducing global emissions. The argument of President Trump is that not all countries are equally contributing to global emission reductions, as coal and crude oil production continue to increase in several countries.
Other countries, including coal and crude oil-producing and consuming nations, criticising the USA for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement is akin to the pot calling the kettle black.
Perhaps the USA’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement should prompt all stakeholders to reassess the situation and ensure that all countries have equal participation and responsibility in the matter, instead of viewing it as if only a few countries, like the USA, are responsible for protecting the global climate. If such a reassessment were to take place, it is hoped that the US President would revise his view and decide to re-engage in the global climate agreement.
