Should the U.S. leave the Paris Climate Accord?

For the first time in history, every country voted on the U.N. Climate Accord, a contract to lower greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. In 2019, President Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Accord, making the U.S. the only country in the world to leave the agreement unratified. But on his first day in office, President Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the Paris Accord, and the U.S. formally rejoined in February 2021. Critics say the agreement puts the U.S. economy at a disadvantage, while proponents cite the need to address carbon emissions and slow climate change. Should the U.S. leave the Paris Climate Accord?

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Additional resources to think about

The Greenhouse Effect and Greenhouse Gases
Use this infographic and lesson to learn about the greenhouse effect and find out how scientists study climate change with data collected from ice cores.

Global Climate Change: Understanding the Greenhouse Effect
With this lesson plan, students can explore the effect of greenhouse gases on Earth's atmosphere today, and consider human impact on global warming.

Family Works to Keep Business in Motion Amidst Climate Change
This PBS NewsHour video from the Student Reporting Labs shows how rising temperatures from climate changing are hurting a snowmobile business.

The disarming case to act right now on climate change | TEDEd
Youth climate activist Greta Thunberg explains why, in August 2018, she walked out of school and organized a strike to raise awareness of global warming, protesting outside the Swedish parliament and grabbing the world's attention.

The Paris climate pact is 5 years old. Is it working?
This article from Science talks about the progress and setbacks of the world's climate fight 5 years after the Paris Climate Accord.

Why is 2 Degrees of Climate Change a Big Deal? | Let's Talk
In this episode, NPR Science Correspondent Christopher Joyce explains the changes 2-degrees of warming might bring.

Are the goals of the Paris Accord slipping out of reach?
This 2018 video from PBS NewsHour asks critical questions about whether or not the Paris climate agreement is helping to mitigate climate change.

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Who created this message?

What kind of “text” is it?
How similar or different is it to others of the same genre?
What are the various elements (building blocks) that make up the whole?

What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

What do you notice (about the way the message is constructed)?
What’s the emotional appeal?
What makes it seem “real?”
What's the emotional appeal? Persuasive devices used?

How might different people understand this message differently from me?

How many other interpretations could there be?
How could we hear about them?
How can you explain the different responses?

What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?

What type of person is the reader/watcher/listener invited to identify with?
What ideas or perspectives are left out?
How would you find what’s missing?
What judgments or statements are made about how we treat other people?

Why is this message being sent?

What's being sold in this message? What's being told?
Who is served by or benefits from the message
– the public?
– private interests?
– individuals?
– institutions?

5 Key Questions of Media Literacy used with permission from the Center for Media Literacy.
Copyright 2002-2021, Center for Media Literacy, www.medialit.com

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