Two of the world’s biggest polluters making the pledge that they will formally ratify the Paris climate deal is a significant step in the global fight against climate change.
It is rare for these two countries to be able to get together and agree on something. However, as Chinese President Xi said, climate change is a pressing issue not just for the future of China, but for the well-being of the entire world.
If ever there was an issue to help countries set aside differences and unite for the common good, it is climate change. It is, then, heartening to see the two largest economies and military powers in the world lead by example by coming together in this fight.
What the deal is asking is a tall order: Countries will have to try to keep their temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. For this to happen, poorer countries, like Bangladesh, must be given climate aid by richer nations beyond 2020.
We hope this month sees a spike in other countries joining in by ratifying the deal.
While it is the developed nations that are responsible for most greenhouse emissions, it tends to be poor nations like Bangladesh that suffer the most from the devastating consequences of climate change. Bangladesh has, for some time, been dealing with its very real effects.
Coastal and river erosion, water salinity, and water-logging cause a serious loss of livelihood every year. In the future, there could be more significant losses in GDP. Climate change, then, directly stands in the way of our goal of becoming a middle-income nation in the next few years.
But this is a fight that will require the political will and resources of the world’s top economies. The US and China joining the agreement signals a major step in the right direction.
