Kemi Osukoya
February 18, 2021
The United States will officially rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement on Friday, marking the occasion by hosting a summit on climate change at the United Nations headquartered in New York.
The event, hosted by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry in collaboration with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to celebrate the U.S.’ reentry into the accord will take place during the opening session of the UN Association of the United States of America’s virtual 2021 Global Engagement Summit.
The U.S.’ reentry comes nearly a month after President Joe Biden signed an executive order revoking the previous administration’s withdrawal ordered by President Donald Trump in 2019 to pullout America from the global climate accord. The pullout went into effect last November, the day after the U.S. Presidential election.
Immediately after taking office, Biden, who helped orchestrate the Paris Agreement in 2015, informed the UN Secretary General that he plans to return and actively reengage America in the accord.
Experts say U.S.’ rejoining the accord is a move in the right direction that will help spur interests in climate adaptation and mitigation programs.
