Paris Climate Treaty

President Biden signed an executive order to have the country reenter the Paris Climate Agreement, less than four months after formally withdrawing.

The United States is the only country to back out of its promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. America has contributed more cumulative carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than any other nation.

China is investing in both coal and renewable energy, the European Union promises to dramatically reduce carbon emissions and the U.S. is leaving the Paris Agreement altogether. What will 2021 hold?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said despite Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris accord, the U.S. is committed: "We're still in it." The sailing yacht with Greta Thunberg aboard will arrive soon.

Under the agreement hammered out in 2015, the first day that countries can reverse the promises they made is Nov. 4, 2019. It will be another year before the American withdrawal is official.

Nations agreed on rules to track the promises they made to reduce emissions, but did not set new emissions reduction goals necessary to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.

According to the government's most comprehensive assessment to date, climate change has already damaged American infrastructure and cost both money and lives.

After months of ethics scandals and investigations, the embattled Environmental Protection Agency head has resigned, the president said Thursday.

Delegates to the annual international climate meeting held by the U.N. are struggling to forge a unified approach to slowing climate change. Meanwhile, emissions of greenhouse gases keep rising.

Noting President Trump's stance, a declaration states, "The leaders of the other G20 members state that the Paris Agreement is irreversible."