—
As activists around the United States and concerned onlookers begin to panic, it’s important to remember a few key things about the Paris Climate Accord and about our country’s identity: a land of immigrants, descendants of immigrants, and indigenous peoples.
The Paris agreement is not the Kyoto Protocol. Rather, this agreement is nonbinding, an agreement between countries to make plans for combatting climate change. The key to being nonbinding is the agreement allows countries to adjust their plans as their domestic situations change in the unforeseeable future. Although there are opportunities for countries to review each other’s progress, there is no penalty for not fulfilling goals, and no specific instruction for what goals should even be created.
Countries, including China and India, have already stated they’re committed to their plans whether or not the US chooses to participate..
|
The format works, in many ways, like the Universal Periodic Review process, designed to protect human rights. However, even this process has failed to protect the Romani in Eastern Europe from decimation. It has also failed to see the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) fully enacted.
Also, although the Paris agreement does not promise change, its formal withdrawal process will also take a full four years – longer than Trump’s remaining presidency should he not be reelected. However, the US has already broken dozens of seriously, internationally binding treaties. Just ask the hundreds of sovereign tribal nations that continue to fight for their rights to this day.
The United States has had a longer-standing commitment to tribes than it does to any nation in the name of climate. The #NoDAPL movement at Standing Rock has been a testament to this struggle against broken promises and violated human rights. Pipelines have been the vehicle for many of these violations against indigenous peoples in recent years. Ironically, they are also the target for activists wishing to see the US fulfill its part of the Paris Climate Agreement. While eyes have been turned away from Standing Rock relative to the attention it was getting months ago, Enbridge, rising from a recent defeat (Sandpiper) in Minnesota, is about to proceed with yet another pipeline (the Line 3 replacement) at the expense of indigenous sovereignty.
Some say withdrawal from the Paris agreement will cause animosity and unpredictable responses from other countries who are committed to it. The Universal Periodic Review is testament to the kind of criticism the United States receives on a daily basis from observing countries, namely in regards to indigenous rights and past genocide crimes. Countries, including China and India, have already stated they’re committed to their plans whether or not the US chooses to participate.
And while we point fingers at China for being the biggest emitter of global greenhouse gas emissions, it’s important to consider two other factors: 1) China falls behind other countries when its emissions are calculated at a per capita figure; and 2) How much of these “big emitter” countries’ emissions actually go towards cheap products for American consumers? In other words, the United States is a culprit out of its greed and its interest in saving dollars – the same reasoning Trump gave for withdrawing from the agreement. Yet as other countries cut back on their own emissions, we can only hope to see better human rights and environmental regulations in the factories that produce cheap products and which thereby will have their own impact on the US and global economy.
Finally, while activists may feel panicked and personally insulted that Trump plans to undo what they consider to be their hard work, more lessons could be taken from the longevity and humility witnessed in indigenous movements worldwide in the face of worse atrocities. Many agree climate change’s defeat was not intended to come from the Paris agreement itself but from diplomacy and the efforts of people at local and state levels. And this change is already happening, although maybe not as fast right now as it needs to be.
So the next time you feel like breaking down over a decision Trump has made, remember there is nothing new in this country to such disappointment. Instead, consider realistically where change needs to come from and learn from the experienced resistors around you who continue to exist because of their prayers and because of their ability to adapt and persevere.
Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.
—
Photo Credit: Getty Images