The Paris Agreement is a landmark international accord that was signed in 2015 by 195 countries to address climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Each country that signs the agreement pledges to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for the warming of the planet.
However, there are some countries that have not signed or have withdrawn from the Paris Agreement. Here are some of the countries that are not participating in the Paris Agreement and their reasons for not doing so.
1. United States
The United States, under the Trump administration, withdrew from the Paris Agreement on November 4, 2020. The reason cited for the withdrawal was that the agreement would harm the US economy and cost American jobs. The withdrawal of the US is significant, as it is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world.
2. Iran
Iran has not signed the Paris Agreement, but it has made a non-binding pledge to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 4% by 2030 compared to business-as-usual scenarios.
3. Turkey
Turkey signed the Paris Agreement in 2016 but has not ratified it yet. The reason cited for not ratifying the agreement is that it unfairly discriminates against developing countries like Turkey.
4. Eritrea
Eritrea has not signed the Paris Agreement due to its status as a developing country and limited resources to invest in climate change mitigation efforts.
5. Iraq, Libya, South Sudan, and Yemen
These four countries have not signed the Paris Agreement due to political instability and ongoing conflicts.
The Paris Agreement aims to keep global temperatures from rising above 2°C, which is a threshold beyond which scientists say the effects of climate change would become catastrophic. The participation of all countries is essential to achieve the goals of the agreement. The absence of some countries from the agreement is a challenge to the global efforts to limit climate change.