The US Re-enters the Paris Climate Accord

On Friday, the United States rejoined the Paris Agreement; U.S. authorities announced after president Joe Biden signed an executive order to undo Donald Trump's policy against the 2015 Climate Accord.

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The agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, adopted by 196 parties. It aims to reduce global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-century, which commits participants to take short and long-term actions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.

"It's a good day in our fight against the climate crisis, as the United States is once again a Party to the Paris Agreement. The work to reduce our emissions has already begun, and we will waste no time in engaging our partners around the world to build our global resilience," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said via Twitter.

Also, Biden's special climate change envoy John Kerry hailed the decision on social media. "Today's the day. We're officially back in the Paris Agreement - again part of the global climate effort. No country can fight this fight on its own. We look forward to a productive year and a successful COP26 in Glasgow. GoodToBeBack," the official said.

Former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on November 4, 2020, after announcing his intentions in 2017. On his first day in office, Biden signed the executive order to return to the Paris Agreement.