Over the past two years, we’ve written periodically on the Paris Climate Accord — namely, what it is and the United States’ withdrawal from it. But what are states doing to uphold America’s commitments under the Paris Climate Accord? One course of action has been the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

What is the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative?

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first market-based program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gases. They were pretty straightforward with the name. Started in 2009, RGGI specifically targets CO2 emissions from the power sector.

Which states participate in RGGI?

Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New Jersey was an original RGGI member. Governor Chris Christie decided to withdraw the state in 2011.

RGGI is set to expand: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will return the state to the RGGI as of January 1, 2020. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf began the process to join RGGI on October 3, 2019, and the process is expected to be completed within two years. 

Pennsylvania’s membership is significant, given that it’s the United States’ No. 2 gas producer and No. 3 coal producer and that it’s “electricity market is larger than most of the other northeastern states combined” (Inside Climate News).

What impact has the RGGI had? 

The nine RGGI states have reduced CO2 emissions by 47% over the past decade. That’s 90% faster than the rest of the nation, according to a study by clean energy nonprofit Acadia Center. Moreover, “economic growth in the RGGI states has outpaced the rest of the country by 31%” (Acadia Center). How ‘bout that?

What comes next?

To build on the RGGI, twelve northeastern states will try to finalize plans in early 2020 to launch the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), which will tackle carbon emissions from cars and trucks.

The TCI will auction pollution allowances to fuel suppliers, and each year the cap on the number of allowances will decline. The proceeds from the auctions will be “invested in electric vehicle infrastructure, mass transit, and other improvements designed to curb carbon emissions” (Inside Climate News).

The TCI has bipartisan support and will be chaired by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.

Sources:

“The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,” RGGI, Inc., 2019.

“The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: Ten Years in Review,” Acadia Center, September 17, 2019.

Lavelle, Marianne, “A Major Fossil Fuel State Is Joining RGGI, the Northeast’s Carbon Market,” Inside Climate News, October 3, 2019.

Lavelle, Marianne, “States Vowed to Uphold America’s Climate Pledge. Are They Succeeding?” Inside Climate News, December 24, 2019.

Read our 3-Piece Primer to the Paris Agreement here.

The 2015 Paris Agreement, designed to hold nations accountable to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is comprised of 197 countries. The United States is the only country to withdraw from the pact. Despite its formal notice, the withdrawal process will take a full year to complete.

The signatories of the scientific report come from 150 countries. Published by BioScience, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, the report declares an “unequivocal” climate emergency, writing that climate change is “closely linked to excessive consumption of the wealthy lifestyle” in affluent countries.

Despite its withdrawal, the United States remains on track to meet its Paris Agreement commitments, thanks to state and corporate efforts to meet the goals outlined in the accord. Yet what’s lost is the United States’ ability to nudge other countries to fulfill their national pledges.

Scientists argue that serious transformations are needed in how “our global society functions and interacts with natural ecosystems.” The report provides vital signs to assist policymakers, the private sector, and the public in their decision-making toward a sustainable future.

The year-long withdrawal process from the Paris Agreement will be complete on November 4, 2020, one day after the 2020 presidential election. If a future administration chooses to rejoin the Paris Agreement, it may do so after a one-month waiting period.

Sources:

Hersher, Rebecca, “U.S. Formally Begins To Leave The Paris Climate Agreement,” NPR, November 4, 2019.

Ripple, William J.; Wolf, Christopher; Newsome, Thomas M.; Barnard, Phoebe; Moomaw, William R., “World Scientists’ of a Climate Emergency,” BioScience, November 5, 2019.

The strikes were designed to protest business and government inaction on the climate crisis. Occurring on September 20 and 27, the strikes bookended the UN Climate Action Summit, at which leaders from the international community gathered to discuss the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

The UN Climate Action Summit yielded mixed results. The United States was silent. China made no promises of stronger climate action. Yet 65 countries committed to net-zero emissions by 2050, a number of asset fund managers said they will strive toward a net-zero portfolio of investments by 2050, and dozens of businesses committed to the Paris Agreement targets.

Thunberg, who spoke at the UN summit, is the 16-year-old who has become the face of the youth movement. Since August 2018 she’s skipped school on Fridays to protest inaction on climate change outside the Swedish Parliament. Thirteen months later, thousands of young climate activists do the same as part of the Fridays for Future movement.

Did you or someone you know participate the Global Climate Strikes? Share your experience with us in the comments section.

Sources:

Barclay, Eliza and Resnick, Brian, “How big was the global climate strike? 4 million people, activists estimate.” Vox, September 22, 2019.
Irfan, Umair, “Greta Thunberg is leading kids and adults from 150 countries in a massive Friday climate strike,” Vox, September 20, 2019.
Sengupta, Somini and Friedman, Lisa, “At U.N. Climate Summit, Few Commitments and U.S. Silence,” The New York Times, September 24, 2019.

• “Global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C [above pre-industrial levels] between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate,” (IPCC, 2018).

• “Climate-related risks for natural and human systems are higher for global warming of 1.5°C than at present… These risks depend on the magnitude and rate of warming, geographic location, levels of development and vulnerability, and on the choices and implementation of adaptation and mitigation options,” (IPCC, 2018).

• “There are a wide range of adaptation options that can reduce the risks of climate change. There are limits to adaptation and adaptive capacity for some human and natural systems at global warming of 1.5°C, with associated losses. The number and availability of adaptation options vary by sector,” (IPCC, 2018).

• “Pathways limiting global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot would require rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure (including transport and buildings), and industrial systems. These systems transitions are unprecedented in terms of scale, but not necessarily in terms of speed, and imply deep emissions reductions in all sectors, a wide portfolio of mitigation options and a significant upscaling of investments in those options,” (IPCC, 2018).

• “Strengthening the capacities for climate action of national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector, indigenous peoples and local communities can support the implementation of ambitious actions implied by limiting global warming to 1.5°C. International cooperation can provide an enabling environment for this to be achieved in all countries and for all people, in the context of sustainable development. International cooperation is a critical enabler for developing countries and vulnerable regions,” (IPCC, 2018).

Spooky stuff.

It boils down to this: If we don’t get our act together in the next twelve years, we’re going to see Mama Nature get real, real mad. That means more natural disasters, more humanitarian crises, more widespread extinction, all of which is worse than what we’ve seen to date.

Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom. The UN report presents an inspiring vision of humanity, working together to overcome the single greatest threat to our survival that we have ever faced. The peoples of the world can implement new tools and systems to adapt, to mitigate, and to reverse the destructive consequences of our entire history. We have the ability, the ingenuity, and the means to turn this whole thing around within the next twelve years. There’s one thing we lack, and it’s the one thing we need to achieve any large-scale change.

Political will.

Climate change is bigger than recycling and plastic straws. It’s bigger than individuals and corporations. It’s a global problem, and it requires the action and cooperation of our global leaders. If you’re someone who cares about climate change, the best thing you can do is vote. Vote for candidates whose environmental policies reflect your own beliefs. Vote for candidates who are committed to acting on climate change.

Want to take out the trash? Take out the trash and vote. Want to upcycle? Upcycle environmental policy and vote.

Reminder:

The midterms are on November 6.

Find out if you’re registered to vote here.

Find your polling place here.

We’re the change we’ve been waiting for. Be a voter on November 6.

Source:

“Global Warming of 1.5 °C an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty: headline statements,” Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2018.

Our 2017 resolution was to keep you better informed on events and issues in your town or city as they pertain to waste management and the environment. We tried to maintain this goal in our Facebook posts. Tell us how you think we did and how we can help keep you better informed in the comments section.

This year also brought some major climate-related events in North America: President Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement; we experienced a total solar eclipse; and the continental United States, its territories, and Mexico withstood earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes.

At the end of the day – or year rather – we at Remyndr are most grateful for our interactions with you. We reached into several communities, both online and in the real world, and gained new insights about what works for you and what we can do better. In our effort to enhance our community and our service, we invite any feedback you may have to help us improve.

In 2018, Remyndr is excited to branch out into new geographical and conversational territories. Do you have a friend or family member who would benefit if Remyndr served their town? We want to know! Drop us a note in the comments section or on Facebook!

Happy New Year to you, your loved ones, and your community from all of us here at Remyndr! We hope the new year brings fresh starts, memorable adventures, and hope for communities and our world to become a better place.

Despite EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and Trump’s denial of humanity’s contribution to climate change, the Climate Science Special Report is significant and may result in concrete policy change. One such change includes greater support for “the EPA’s greenhouse-gas ‘endangerment finding’ under the Clean Air Act, which lays the foundation for regulations on emissions” (Mooney, Eilperin, Dennis 2017). With emission regulations in place, the United States would be able to maintain lower warming levels, which could lessen the impact of climate change across various regions of the country. Recall our blog post on climate change and overdevelopment, written the same month we saw thousand-year hurricanes ravage Puerto Rico, Florida, and Texas; wildfires burn from Montana to Napa; and an earthquake devastate Mexico.

What You Can Do

1. Call the EPA: Find a climate-related topic that you’re passionate about and voice your concerns politely to the staffers who answer the phone.
2. Call your representatives: New Jersey; Massachusetts. Again, make your voice heard and ask your representatives how they plan to act in order to curb climate change.
3. Go to Town Halls. Town Hall Project helps you find a town hall near you by entering your Zip Code into its search query. When you go to these events, prepare what you want to say and demand answers from your representatives.

We are nearing the point of no return when it comes to climate change, but it’s not too late for us to turn the tide in the Earth’s favor.

Last month, the Remyndr blog posted a 3-Piece Primer to the Paris Agreement. In it, we discuss three key pieces of information: First, that the Paris Agreement includes participation from 197 Parties around the world. Second, that the Paris Agreement establishes a common framework by which all nations may respond to climate change. Third, that the Paris Agreement’s main goal is to prevent the average global temperature from rising by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F) and to limit the average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 F) over the next century.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump decided to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. Now that the dust has settled, today’s post looks at what American withdrawal means for the Paris Agreement, for climate change, and for America in the future.

America’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will not be completed until November 2020. This is due to a provision in the accord that prevents countries from leaving until three years after the law has gone into effect. The Paris Agreement came into force on November 4, 2016. Now you may be thinking, “Doesn’t that mean that America can withdraw by 2019?” Yes. However, Article 28 of the Paris Agreement mandates a one-year notice period from nations that wish to exit the the accord. Therefore, even though the United States can begin the process of withdrawal as soon as November 2019, the process will not be finalized until November 2020.

The Paris Agreement will not fall apart without America. However, without America’s participation, it will be harder for nations to reach their Paris Agreement goals. The United States is the second biggest polluter in the world, contributing roughly 15% of global carbon emissions. Fortunately, since energy production is now primarily generated by gas rather than coal, U.S. carbon emissions will still be reduced. Yet these decreases are projected to be about half of what the U.S. had planned for in the Paris Agreement. In addition, America provides funding and technological resources to developing countries in their efforts to stem climate change. Without the United States’ contributing funds, countries will need to look for help elsewhere in order to achieve their climate goals (Mark McGrath, BBC).

This raises the question of global leadership. America’s withdrawal is an opportunity for other nations to lead the way in the climate change movement. After President Trump’s announcement, China and the European Union reaffirmed their commitments to the Paris Agreement. While China is expected to be the global leader when it comes to climate, Canada and Mexico are also poised to become key players from the Americas (Mark McGrath, BBC).

Although the United States is set to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, not all states are united on the issue. The same day America’s withdrawal was announced, eleven states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico banded together to form the United States Climate Alliance. This alliance, co-chaired by Governors Brown, Cuomo, and Inslee, is committed to upholding the Paris Agreement. The eleven participating states include Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. Together they comprise roughly 36% of the United States’ population and were responsible for almost a fifth of the United States’ carbon emissions in 2014. As part of the Climate Alliance, members aim to reach the United States’ goal to reduce carbon emissions by 26-28 percent from levels in 2005 by 2025 (Leanna Garfield and Skye Gould, Business Insider; New York State).

Ultimately, America’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement may amount to a symbolic action. Without new policies in place, it is unlikely that America will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 percent by 2025. Yet it is still too early to know the decision’s long-term impact on global climate initiatives and how it will affect America’s relationships abroad.