The United States was the driving force behind the historic Paris Agreement, an unprecedented global compact designed to avoid dangerous climate change and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon climate-resilient world. The 2016 Presidential election has cast a shadow on US climate leadership as the Trump Administration has signalled its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement while reversing a swathe of important domestic policies designed to decarbonise the US economy. At the same time, however, US states, cities and companies have stepped in to the leadership vacuum and promised to honour US obligations. Dr. Edward Cameron presented his assessment of US climate leadership in the era of Trump and its implications for the Paris Agreement.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Edward Cameron designs climate strategies for companies and works to shape climate policies with governments. During the past two decades he has worked with the European Union, the World Bank, the Government of the Maldives, and the World Resources Institute to drive greenhouse gas emissions reductions and strengthen societal resilience in the face of climate change. For five years he was deeply engaged in the design of the Paris Agreement and more recently has been working with the private sector to increase the volume of companies committing to climate action and to argue the business case for US leadership on climate”.
