Paris Agreement Trumped

A guest blog by the RSPB’s principal climate advisor, John Lanchbery.


President Trump’s rejection of the Paris Agreement on climate change isolates him from the rest of the world. The other six G7 leaders have strongly endorsed the treaty.

Worryingly, Trump has said that he would seek to negotiate a new deal that would not disadvantage the United States. The concern is that by doing so, the delicately negotiated deal that took years to agree, will completely collapse.

Trump also announced that the US would cease all funding of the Green Climate Fund, which was set up to help developing countries meet their climate commitments. Without this vital funding, these very poorest countries, many of which are already suffering from the dangerous impacts of climate change, will struggle to meet their own climate commitments.

By taking this decision, the President has ignored the global political consensus, his own scientists and many American businesses.  The American National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine say “responding to climate change is one of the nation’s most complex and urgent endeavors”.  And renewable energy development has created a million new jobs for Americans.

From a domestic perspective it may not matter if President Trump has alienated the USA from every other nation, but it will not make America great again.  On the contrary, it seems likely to drive America backwards to using outdated technologies and away from global leadership on multilateralism.  It also ignores public opinion: a recent national poll showed that seven out of ten Americans want the US to remain in the Paris Agreement.

This will not be good for people or wildlife and is a disappointment to the RSPB and our global Partnership, BirdLife International.

Climate change has been key driver of bird population declines across northern continents since the 1980s. So far, one-quarter of species studied in detail show negative responses to climate change, whilst only one in eight responded positively.  

Changes in these delicate networks that have evolved over millennia, especially when thinking of the food chain, have probably been even more significant than the direct impacts.  For more on climate change and birds see a report by the US BirdLife Partner, Audubon.

However, it is not all doom and gloom, the RSPB can still make a difference, you as someone who is concerned about the future of our natural world can make a difference, and importantly the governments of the UK can and are making a different through their continued support of the Paris Agreement.

We have a proud tradition of leading on climate change and speaking up for the habitats and wildlife that does not get a vote in any election – and working as part of the global community the UK must continue take a lead in working with the rest of the world in pushing for change and a positive response to the challenge of climate change.  And in that regard, we are encouraged to learn of a joint EU-Chinese statement, expected tomorrow, confirming their commitment to the Paris Agreement.

For more on this, here's what our American BirdLife partner, Audubon, has to say on matter.