Ten Years Since the Paris Agreement

On December 12, 2015, during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21), representatives from 195 countries came together to sign the Paris Agreement. The main goal? To cut emissions and curb global warming.

However, recent data suggests that global emissions have actually risen over the past decade. According to the European Commission’s Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), while the European Union has taken the lead in cutting emissions, levels are still at unprecedented highs.

Notably, President Donald Trump was quick to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement through an executive order on his first day in office. Some energy experts have described the agreement as “unconstitutional,” expressing support for Trump’s decision to distance the U.S. from the United Nations’ climate agenda.

“Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement. Despite global investments of about $10 trillion to implement it, emissions have risen by 12%. This is puzzling, especially since weather patterns haven’t drastically changed,” noted Steve Milloy, a senior fellow at the Energy and Environmental Law Institute. He further criticized the agreement as a misguided initiative by the previous administration, highlighting the lack of required Senate ratification for such international accords. Milloy commended Trump for moving away from what he referred to as “the green scam.”

“Over a decade has passed since the agreement was put in place, and its effects are evident,” stated Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Association. He went on to argue that the deal hasn’t met its objectives, contributing instead to the deindustrialization of Europe, compromising energy security, and increasing electricity costs. He believes these shifts leave households and businesses worse off, while global emissions continue to climb as industries relocate to countries with more lenient environmental regulations.