The Democratic-majority House of Representatives has approved a bill aimed at forcing Washington to remain in the Paris Climate Agreement, which Donald Trump has promised to withdraw from. This move is largely symbolic, as the bill has very little chance of passing the Senate. But it will carry weight in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.
This vote “declares to the entire world that the United States is not in denial about the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change“, said Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House, on the floor of the House. “This text calls for immediate action, urging us to stay” under the Paris Agreement, “the only international agreement aimed at ending the climate crisis, and by demanding an action plan from the administration”by Donald Trump,” she added.
But even the elected official predicts that the bill will not make it through the Republican-controlled Senate. In the House, the bill passed by a vote of 231 to 190. This “sends an important message to our allies about the overwhelming support Americans have for this agreement“, says the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Representative Kathy Castor.
The bill passed by the House on Thursday requires the White House to submit and update annually an action plan to ensure that the United States meets its targets under the Paris Agreement, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 26 to 28 % below 2005 levels by 2025.
Resistance within the country
The agreement is “vital for developing a clean energy economy and avoiding the worst effects of climate change“, she emphasized. Former President Barack Obama had signed the Paris Climate Agreement in late 2015. His successor, Donald Trump, decided on June 1, 2017, to withdraw from the agreement, which aims to limit global warming to less than +2°C. His decision stems from a form of climate skepticism and concerns about competitiveness with China, the world’s other major emitter. It is expected to take effect in late 2020, after the next presidential election.
Long before the House of Representatives introduced the bill, resistance had already begun to take shape across the country. The most significant of these is the “We Are Still In” (We are still part of the Paris Agreement). This coalition of 125 cities, 9 states, 902 companies, and 183 universities is working to ensure that the United States honors its commitments to reduce emissions compared to 2005 levels, as promised ahead of COP21.
Abroad, President Emmanuel Macron had stepped up to the plate the very next day after the White House resident’s announcement. On June 2, 2017, he launched his famous “Make Our Planet Great Again” campaign, a direct challenge to Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”.
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