When the Trump administration effectively withdrew from the international climate agreement reached in Paris in 2015, the United States forfeited leadership on one of the most critical issues facing the nation in this century.
Achieving an international agreement on any subject requires negotiations and compromise. Today, the international system has no absolute authority. Rather, it is composed of sovereign nations, each with their individual interests. The Paris climate agreement was a negotiated start in addressing global warming that threatens to disrupt civilization in the future. The agreement is not perfect, and neither is compliance. If the U.S. walks away from every imperfect international agreement, the country would not be a party to anything.
By leaving the agreement, the U.S. undermines the early effort to reverse the causes on climate change. The Trump administration was quick to attack the Paris accords but offered no alternative. Instead, the administration and its supporters continue to question the causes despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that today’s climate change and its human origins are real.
I’m no scientist, but I like to think that one of the advantages of my Arkansas upbringing is a common-sense approach to problem-solving. I believe that climate change is genuine and am convinced that human activity is the reason. Here’s why:
Expertise counts. The finest scientific minds in the world who study climate believe it to be true. There may be a few outliers, but not many. Put another way, when all the doctors tell me that I am sick and agree on the diagnosis, I should do something about it.
In 1950, the population of the world was about 2.5 billion people. Today it is over 7.5 billion. Most of these people use gas or diesel-powered transportation, acquire goods produced in energy-consuming factories, and rely on electrical energy generated by fossil fuel power plants. Practically, that level of growth and consumption must have a serious effect on the environment.
Historically, climate change has advanced over thousands of years, yet the current change in climate is happening at an unprecedented accelerating pace. Having an especially cold day in February does not disprove man-made climate. To the contrary, Glacier National Park in Montana has virtually no signs of glaciers any more, the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate, and sea levels are rising.
Every person I know who has been to China in recent years has told me the air in Chinese cities is toxic most of the time. Most report that you can see only a few yards ahead of you because of the pollution. One said to me, “If the air in China is the future, we are all doomed.”
I also look at whose interest is served by denying climate change. A judgment of human damage to earth’s atmosphere is a major financial threat to fossil fuel producers in the coal and petroleum industries, and they have a gigantic interest in preserving the status quo on energy consumption. Without a doubt, they use their significant political influence out of sight to counter the science on climate change.
A recent study by Dr. Robert Brulle at Drexel University has shown that major polluters have spent 10 times more on lobbying government officials than environmental groups who favor action on greenhouse gases.
As they continue to avoid the problem, the failure of major American fossil fuel producers and energy consuming companies to diversify rapidly into renewable energy and to encourage governments to promote alternative energy sources shows short-term vision and lack of innovation.
If I am wrong as a layman and greenhouse gases produced by human activity have nothing to do with global warming, I will accept the ridicule of the energy sector and those who believe them. But if most scientists are right, and the U.S. continues to ignore current climate warnings, the future of the planet and the legacy we leave to our children will be in great danger.
Man-made climate change is a serious and immediate issue. It should not be the subject of shallow posturing by the winner-take-all political class, especially among those eager for campaign funding from one side of the debate. The United States should not abandon the Paris climate agreement. Instead, the U.S. administration should demand that practical solutions be found to climate change, and that agreements like the Paris agreement be improved.
The world is not flat, the moon landing was not a hoax, and climate change is real. We should do something about it.
James Pardew, a Jonesboro native and graduate of Arkansas State University, is a former military officer, ambassador,andaformerdeputyassistant secretary general for operations on NATO’s international staff.