Delegation from the United States of America
Position Paper for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The following topic is before the committee: Technology Transfer to support the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (2015), ratified 2017. The United States of America (USA) feels that the Paris Agreement (and the subsequent transfer of technology for the purpose of mitigating climate change) is unfair as it restricts the USA while empowers other countries, and therefore the USA is in the process of withdrawing its participation in the agreement (November 4, 2020).
The Paris Agreement brings together all UN Member States to take action to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with increased support to assist developing countries to do so. The transfer of technology between developed and developing nations is imperative to mitigate global carbon dioxide emissions, and to achieve one of the Paris Agreement goals of keeping the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees C above preindustrial levels. Because of dramatic economic disparities, developed nations have been tasked with assisting developing nations with technology advancements and support to collectively meet global emission reduction targets. The serious issue of climate change impacts all citizens in all nations, and a collaborative effort must be taken immediately to mitigate the effects it will have on the entire world.
All 197 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are represented at the Conference of the Parties (COP) which meets annually. The main objective of the UNFCCC is to stabilize “greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” The COP adopted the Paris Agreement to strengthen the global response to climate change, and to eventually eliminate emissions through the transfer of innovative technologies between Developed and Developing nations. Along with the requirements that Member States communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions to the overall goal, the Paris Agreement includes “provisions on enhancing adaptation measures, promoting technology development and transfer, and raising public awareness of climate change.”
In 2016, the United States of America under President Obama, became a signatory of the Paris Agreement and committed to contributing $3 billion USD to the Green Climate Fund. On June 1, 2017, President Trump decided to cease all participation of the USA in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation. President Trump is ending the implementation of carbon emission reduction targets set by President Obama, and withdrawal from the agreement is being done in accordance with the yearlong exit process. Negotiations to re-enter the agreement and make it “fair” to the USA have been ongoing.
The United States of America, under President Trump, maintains that climate change is a “hoax concocted by China” to weaken the competitive industrial power of the USA on the world stage. Because of this, President Trump dismantled climate policies instated by previous President Obama, cancelled the USA Clean Power Plan and drastically cut the federal budget for climate change policies and research. Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement caused great response from both inside and outside the United States of America. Governors of many states formed the United States Climate Alliance to continue to advance the Paris Agreement objectives at the state level despite federal withdrawal. Further, over 200 city mayors committed to adopt, respect and obey the goals of the Paris Agreement, and many major companies are also committed to adopting clean energy solutions and technologies. However, other Americans are in support of the withdrawal as the middle class, businesses, and industries (such as coal) benefit, and the burden of emission taxes for Americans was lifted. While withdrawal from the agreement is not significant enough to change the global emission structure, there is potential for USA withdrawal to have a negative impact on the international climate regime, and the country will therefore work at the state-level to cooperate with global scale climate change objectives.
