Nicaragua has become the latest country to agree to the Paris climate agreement, leaving the US even more isolated.
“The only two countries in the world refusing to be part of the agreement are the United States and a country it has been trying to overthrow, Syria,” The Washington Post says.
Nicaragua initially refused to sign the accord, saying it did not go far enough in tackling climate change and did not require enough sacrifices by wealthy nations. However, President Daniel Ortega has since signalled he will sign, although he hasn't specified when, The Independent reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In June, Donald Trump said he was pulling the US out of the deal, claiming it will cost the US trillions of dollars and hinder oil, gas, coal and manufacturing industries, thus lowering employment. However, Washington cannot legally do this until 2020.
Syria's civil war is thought to have kept it from signing the deal.
The agreement commits signatories to keeping increases in global temperature to "well below" 2C more than pre-industrial levels and "endeavour to limit" them to 1.5C above, the BBC says.
“Nobody expects [the accord] to collapse” without US support, Newsweek said, but Trump's withdrawal may cause “diplomatic headaches” and could prompt legal action against his administration.
Andrew Light, a senior fellow at the World Resources Institute and a senior climate adviser at the State Department under Barack Obama, told The Washington Post that Nicaragua’s decision is “further demonstration that the administration is isolated on this issue”.
However, The Guardian has reported that Trump's decision to withdraw from Paris is a symbolic gesture as the US will continue to move away from cutting emissions “regardless of whether it remains part of the global deal”.
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Philadelphia’s Calder GardensFeature A permanent new museum
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
