Biden rejoins Paris Climate Agreement, cancels Keystone XL Pipeline

     Just hours after his inauguration, President Joe Biden signed a plethora of executive orders, two of which included the rejoining of the Paris Climate Agreement and the cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The orders came quickly and have received mixed reactions from the public.  

    In 2015, 195 countries adopted the agreement in hopes of combating climate change. It laid out a basic framework for monitoring global temperature deviation, guiding nations for “limiting global warming to well below two degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to limit it to one and a half degrees Celsius.” 

       Back in 2017, former President Donald Trump announced the United States would be pulling out of the agreement, stating in his speech given at the Rose Garden at the White House  “In order to fulfil my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens, the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, but begin negotiations to re-enter either the Paris Accord or a really entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States, its businesses, its workers, its people, its taxpayers. So we’re getting out.”

   Biden also announced that he would be canceling the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline stretches throughout the United States and Canada and was built to quickly transport fossil fuel to market. An extension was proposed to the already extensive network by the company TC Energy. The extension and maintenance of the Keystone XL created jobs for American workers, the cancellation of these efforts leaves thousands of people without jobs, increasing already suffering unemployment rates within the United States. 

    On the opposing side, the construction of a larger pipeline would lead to an increase in the mining of fossil fuels, with the production rate being expedited dramatically. This increase in production along with the extension of the pipeline would lead to more carbon emissions being produced. 

     Both of these big announcements made by the newly elected President have received mixed reactions from the student body. When 165 people were polled, 62 percent  agreed with the President’s decisions. An anonymous junior stated, “Biden’s decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement has its pros and cons. However, considering the fact that the world does need to change in order for the environment to be able to return to healthy conditions, rejoining was in the best interest of the longevity of our planet; even if it was not in the best interest of our country. Rejoining could quite possibly put us in even greater debt than we already are and cause our economy to fall.”  

     Some students, however, were less neutral on the topic, making strong arguments for one side or the other. An anonymous sophomore stated, “Despite the efforts made to help alleviate climate change, the economy of the United States is going to fall with the cancellation of the pipeline construction. Too many jobs will be lost than what the US can handle, destroying our economy. Rejoining is a terrible idea and will surely come back to haunt our nation later.” 

     An anonymous senior had quite a different opinion on the topic.. “Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement was the first stride President Biden has taken to express his voice to the American people that change is coming. The United States was a key asset to writing the agreement, and it is important that we lead by example in working towards the goal of helping restore our planet. The extension of the Keystone XL pipeline would increase the rate in which global warming is happening, jobs in America are not worth jeopardizing the sustainability of our planet.”