Experts: United States set to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement
U.S. President Joe Biden returned the United States to the worldwide fight to slow global warming in one of his first official acts Wednesday and immediately launched a series of climate-friendly efforts that would transform how Americans drive and get their power. Biden signed an executive order rejoining the Paris climate accord within hours of taking the oath of office, fulfilling a campaign pledge. (CTV News)
Here are some experts from McGill University that can provide comment on this issue:
Christopher Barrington-Leigh, Associate Professor, Institute for Health and Social Policy and Bieler School of Environment
“California and Quebec’s current cap-and-trade agreement presents a truly remarkable situation and has extraordinary potential implications for ‘the tail wagging the dog’ when it comes to the next step of national policies and for coordination between Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden.”
Chris Barrington-Leigh is an Associate Professor cross-appointed to the Institute for Health and Social Policy and the Bieler School of Environment and an Associate Member in the Department of Economics. His research makes use of subjective well-being reports to address the relative importance of social and community-oriented aspects of life as compared with material consumption.
chris.barrington-leigh [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)
Dror Etzion, Associate Professor, Desautels Faculty of Management
“Former President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement required the international climate movement to expend considerable time and energy to highlight the folly of withdrawal, rather than simply working to reduce emissions. With President Joe Biden’s decision to rejoin, advocates for the climate can now channel their efforts to more meaningful activities. In that regard, it is worth noting that Biden signed an additional five climate related executive orders on his first day of office, some of which are much more material, immediate and tangible than rejoining the Paris Agreement. The real work, for President Biden and other world leaders, lies ahead.”
Dror Etzion is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Organizations at the Desautels Faculty of Management and an Associate Member of the Bieler School of the Environment. His work suggests that managing for sustainability through local, open, emergent initiatives increases the recruitment of diverse stakeholders, fosters creativity, and yields impactful outcomes.
dror.etzion [at] mcgill.ca (English, Hebrew)
