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I’m afraid the race against the climate change clock is lost. The international community has too long ignored the empirical evidence showing that the climate crisis is real and is largely caused by man. This is not a theory; it is a fact. If someone tells you this is untrue, then they are lying or ignorant or stand to benefit by ignoring it.  

It was a promising sign that 176 countries and the European Union signed the Paris Climate Accord in 2015, but Trump undermined this international effort by pulling the U.S. from the accord. By withdrawing from the Accord, the U.S. is effectively saying the global climate crisis is not our problem. 

Unfortunately other countries are following our lead. Emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuels hit a record high in 2019, putting countries farther off course from their goal of halting global warming. 

A handful of countries account for the majority of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions each year, with China responsible for 26%, the U.S. 14%, the European Union 9% and India 7%.  

However, even if the goals of the Accord to limit that CO2 increase to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) are reached — a big if, it still wouldn’t be enough to end the crisis. The Accord calls for countries to pursue efforts to limit warming this century to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) above preindustrial levels, with an even stricter target of 1.5 degrees C. However, it has been estimated that the rate of increase in 2019 will be the highest on record. Even if all governments meet their Accord target, the world would still see 3 C of warming 

Assuming the scientists’ assumptions are correct, we shouldn’t give up. We can still ameliorate the effects of climate change. But we must also learn to live with the effects of climate change such as rising sea levels, raging forest fires, thawing permafrost and extreme weather.