Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
For years, climate denialists put forth the narrative that it would cripple the US economy to sign on to international climate agreements like the Kyoto Protocol. They said that other major carbon emitting countries like India and China needed to be on board in order for the US to join. It’s clear now, however, that this narrative was always just a smokescreen. The Trump Administration is pulling the US out of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, which notably does include India and China, and is an historic accord representing more than 87% of global greenhouse gas emitters. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with Helen Mountford the Vice President for Climate and Economics at the World Resource Institute. She breaks down what the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement means. We look at when this withdrawal would actually go into effect, examine some Trumpian lies about the Agreement itself, and discuss the impact it will have on the US and the planet moving forward.