MEMO on Paris Agreement

MEMORANDUM

TO: Donald Trump, President

FROM: Adeline Tavarez, Student

DATE: May 7^nd, 2018

SUBJECT: Memorandum on US Policy on Paris Accord

Introduction

            As it is known, President Donald Trump has one stance when it comes to his foreign policy: America First. So, it is known that if he perceives something that threatens that stance, he will most likely go against it. That is the case with US’s involvement in the Paris Agreement. Trump believes that the agreement is not fair to the US economy and signified that the US will be breaking its ties.

Context:

The Paris Agreement brings all nations together to combat climate change and provide aid to developing countries to assist them to do so as well. The goal is to strengthen global response about an issue that effects the global community. The aims of the agreement are to lower global temperature rising and provide financial support to countries in need to meet the overall goal. The aid would allow new technology’s and building frameworks to combat these initiatives. Being part of the agreement means that every party must provide a regular report of their emissions and implementation efforts. Along with the report, they are advised to meet every 5 years to measure collective progress and action plans. Every country is part of this agreement, if the US decides to leave, it will be the only country in the world out of it. Yet, Trump seems to think that it would be best if the United States was not part of it.

Evidence and Implementation

            When creating the Paris Agreement, it was important to develop a loose and adjustable framework. The reasoning behind that was to allow each individual country to develop their own climate strategies. It was understood that a single method would not work for every country, so this loose framework provides a clean slate for everyone. Such a loose fitting framework should be one that Trump would not go against. He has the ability to construct a climate strategy that suits the needs of the United States, but also those of the global community. Yet, he believes that this agreement is stripping Americans from jobs. Recently, a lot of mayors have formed what is called #climatemayors who vow to adopt the Paris Agreement if Trump decides to leave. There has been overwhelming push back on Trumps decision to leave the agreement. The Paris agreement was meant to strengthen the global response in climate change. Once again, Trump is cutting ties with any multilateral deal. However, with an issue such as climate change, if Trump truly wants to put “America First,” it is obvious that in order to do so, he seeks means to insert the US in the agreement. The Paris Agreement is a way to hold each country accountable for their environmental policies. It is crucial that a country like the United States, which has proven to be one of the leading nations, maintains its role in accountability and leadership and continues to do what it needs to set an example in combating climate change.