HANGZHOU, CHINA (WCMH) – President Barack Obama announced that the United States will join a global climate change agreement that was reached in Paris last year during his visit to China Saturday. The announcement comes just before the start of the Group of 20 summit that begins on Sunday.
The agreement was also ratified by President Xi Jinping of China. Together, China and the U.S. account for almost 40 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement is a first of its kind and requires all countries to take steps to reduce greenhouse gases. The aim is to keep the rising global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius.
Obama has worked hard to tackle climate change, and the agreement would be part of his legacy as president. However, some of his critics don’t agree that climate change is something that will threaten future generations, and congressional Republicans say that the agreement requires ratification in the senate, which would not happen.
Aside from push back against the climate change agreement, Obama faces an uphill battle with domestic measures aimed at cutting emissions. In a case that has gone to the Supreme Court, the Obama administration is defending an Environmental Protection Agency order against 29 states.What others are clicking on: