Ahead of U.S. election, Europe eyes an ally in climate change fight

(Reuters, 22 Oct 2020) A win for Biden would inject new life into global cooperation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to past climate negotiators.

For countries hoping to avoid the worst of climate change, next month's U.S. presidential election will be pivotal in determining the course of global climate action, experts say.

A win for the Democratic candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, would inject new life into global cooperation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to past climate negotiators. A second term for President Donald Trump, on the other hand, could prove more disruptive than his first by emboldening climate-sceptic countries.

"The U.S. needs to get back in the game," said Kelley Kizzier, a former EU climate negotiator who now works at the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, almost 200 countries pledged to work toward limiting global warming to 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. That goal has since slipped further away, as climate-warming emissions continued to increase. Trump rejected the agreement altogether and the United States is set to exit it on Nov. 4.

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Reuters, 22 Oct 2020: Ahead of U.S. election, Europe eyes an ally in climate change fight