Despite Trump Paris Decision UN Seeks to Curb Climate Change’s Effects on Ocean

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Fish swim over a wasteland of dead coral as a result of warming waters and ocean acidification

In New York this week, a United Nations (U.N.) conference looks to address climate change and the rapidly deteriorating health of the oceans, despite Donald Trump.

“In most probability this conference represents the best opportunity we will ever have to reverse the cycle of decline that human activity has brought upon the Ocean,” said U.N. General Assembly President Peter Thomson in a Monday statement. “If we want a secure future for our species on this planet, we have to act now on the health of the ocean and on climate change.”

Read: America is Exiting the Stage: Trump Is Closing the Curtains

The conference is co-hosted by Fiji and Sweden. Frank Bainimarama, prime minister of the island of Fiji and climate conference president, is especially attuned to the health of the world’s oceans.

“Climate change poses the biggest threat the world has ever known.  And the quality of our oceans and seas is also deteriorating at an alarming rate,” said Bainimarama. “They are interlinked, because rising sea levels, as well as ocean acidity and warmer waters have a direct effect on our reefs and fish stocks and the prosperity of our coastal communities.”

The conference calls for countries to voluntarily agree to sustainability goals that would help slow and possibly reverse climate change in the oceans including sea-level rise, decrease in polar ice caps, deoxygenation and extreme weather events.

The U.N. reported it received over 700 individual commitments to help improve the ocean.

The five-day conference, which started on World Environment Day, takes place just a few block away from Trump Towers, the former home of President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Trump decided to pull the United States out of the voluntary Paris climate accords.

Read: Michigan Republican: No Worries God Will Make Climate Change Go Away

The Paris climate accord is landmark global effort to curb climate change through reducing carbon emissions. Trump hinted at the possibility of rejoining the effort if the deal was renegotiated, but European leaders signaled that it would not.

“This agreement is less about the climate and more about other countries gaining an advantage over the United States,” said Trump in a press conference at the White House Rose Garden. “The agreement is a massive redistribution of United States’ wealth to other countries.”

Read: Warmer Oceans Forcing Pacific Islanders From Homes

The feckless decision was widely panned by world leaders.

Former President Barack Obama committed to the pledge, agreeing to lower U.S. carbon emissions by over twenty five percent and giving three billion dollars to the U.N. Green Climate Fund.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on scientists and climate change researchers to come to France to continue their studies.

“We will succeed because we are fully committed,” said Macron in a statement Thursday. “Because wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility, make our planet great again.”

Read: Trump On Climate: Pruitt Says Paris Agreement Ineffective; Gore Says Pullout Reckless 

Some American mayors and governors also committed to follow the accord even if the president would not. In his speech Trump indicated that he represented Pittsburgh not Paris, and Pittsburgh’s mayor took offense to that, pledging that his city would follow the agreement.

“I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy and future,” said Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto Thursday.

Edited from International Business Times

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Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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6 years ago

The world will move without Trump. He’s a psychopath and everyone is learning that, quickly.

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