Continued US commitment to the Paris agreement is crucial to the future of the deal and its ability to combat climate change, said Richard L. Morningstar, founding director and chairman of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center.
Morningstar joined Tom Cunningham, deputy director of the Global Energy Center, for a Facebook Live discussion on the importance of continued US commitment to the Paris agreement on both a global and a grassroots scale. Morningstar described how a US rejection of the agreement could leave the United States “isolated” on the world stage.
Additionally, Cunningham described the implications of the deal’s success in combating climate change, as it affects all US citizens. “One thing that I’ve taken from this election is that there’s a huge part of the United States electorate that is skeptical about the reality of climate change, but definitely skeptical about it being a serious priority that requires US action and global cooperation,” Cunningham said.
Rachel Ansley is an editorial assistant at the Atlantic Council.