Speaking for the climate, Paris is in no way over—in fact it’s just beginning.
For President Obama, the Paris Agreement was a climate victory, committing the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26% – 28% (of 2005 levels) over the next ten years. He hailed the agreement as historic, and our best chance ever to “save the planet.”
It is a historic agreement. It is progress. But it is not yet victory.
Obama admits this is only a first step toward reducing greenhouse gasses, cooling the planet, and moving toward a renewable future, but it is not the only agreement being negotiated with important impacts for the planet:
Negotiations on the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) were held in Geneva the week before the COP. If concluded the TiSA would seriously constrain countries’ ability to implement any climate deal, by ensuring that governments treat energy and environmental services without differentiating between fossil fuels and renewable energy sources.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial was held in Nairobi the week following the Paris COP 21. These negotiations received minimal press or protest, but are negotiations that will result in binding rules that will do nothing to assist countries’ ability to meet climate targets set in Paris.
Additionally, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) remains a huge threat to the Paris Agreement and the climate. After 5 years of secret negotiations the text of the TPP was released earlier this year and it is clear this deal will be bad for the climate. As reported by the Sierra Club, “in its more than 6,000 pages of binding rules, the deal fails to even mention the words “climate change”. … the TPP would actually fuel climate change.”
All of this means what was agreed in Paris can only be real if we stand together to make it a climate reality!
Join us in 2016 to redouble our efforts to ensure the TPP remains an election issue, and to be prepared to continue the fight after election day too.
It is up to us to put the pieces together for climate justice, build our unstoppable movements to keep the oil in the ground, and create jobs with dignity and justice on an economy run by 100% renewable energy.
Don’t let Congress trade away the progress made in Paris to protect our climate. Join us!
Thanks for taking action!