The Paris Accord: What is it? And What Does it All Mean?

At the heart of the desire to get America out of the Paris Agreement seems to be three things:

1. Nostalgia. The focus on coal, an energy source that is becoming uneconomical even in developing countries, and that employs very few people in America can't have anything to do with anything except an imagined fondness for a world that probably never existed. These people are right that fossil fuels have been great for Americans and also for the world. I think the people who worked and fought to use fossil fuels to make people's lives better did good things. I also think we need new paths and to retire old ones.

2. A push to have countries care only about their own interests. Climate change is the best example that this doesn't work. And that's very scary for people who are skeptical of globalism. It may seem to them awfully convenient that the people who want a more global society happened to find this disaster that can only be solved by a more global society.

Of course there are some that are purely economically motivated, but while those people are powerful, there aren't many of them. But these are the things that really resonate with large numbers of people. And when you're trying to defend your worldview, you'll make some magnificent mental leaps to do it...like that every scientist ever is lying about how CO2 absorption works.

There are a couple Twitter threads that I really enjoyed on these topics. here they are.

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[DecafKauffee]

The bit on WHY we need to give money to other countries is a hugely important piece most people would never think about. I'm glad you included it!

[TowfiqRafiBUET]

I am from Bangladesh, a lowland impoverished developing nations, where 170 millions people strut their physical ability to earn a meagre wage, typically 1, 000 usd a year. With more than 30 percent of population without electricity or intermittent access to electricity, our government is trying to invest heavily on coal based power plant to meet with our demand and to help our fledgling economy. Our neighbour India, with 300 millions of people without electricity, opting for coal based power plant and has envisaged to mine billions of tons of coal by 2019.
Electricity is a privilege, it powers those marginalized people: giving a child opportunity to do his/her homework, a small business to operate at night.
Industrialized country has reap the benefit and they can now make transition to clean energy but we cannot. Paris accord has enormous importance, thanks for your informative video. Hopefully people in US will understand its importance.

[juststeveschannel]

Since I'm going to assume most Nerdfighters are strongly on the same side of this issue already, and the trolls who come through here aren't going to be swayed by facts and reason anyway, I'm not going to address the subject matter and instead look at the product here. I don't know how much lead time you had to put this together, but the video editing is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. Great work Hank, and anyone who helped in the production. Beautiful vlog, well worth sharing to those friends who AREN'T Nerdfighters. If anyone has any, that is.

[WisecrackEDU]

Thanks for making this video, Hank. This is important stuff. Appreciate what you do! See you in a couple weeks at VidCon!

[elizabethsmith]

It's videos like this one that make me glad that you guys are now up to 3 million subscribers. Thank you

[MartoLun]

As someone who lives in one of those developing countries... I find it baffling that this is even a debate.

Over here, EVERYONE agrees that climate warming is a thing. Why? Because we see it, we feel it.

Everyone feels it. Kids that used to wait for may-ants are now disappointed to learn they're near extinct. Rains get delayed to June, sometimes delayed to September, drying out many crops, raising prices, setting the economy into an inflated chaos... it goes on and on.

I'm disappointed that the POTUS just looks at this like a business, like a deal. He says it doesn't benefit the USA, and hell, maybe it doesn't, but that's no excuse. For all the things the USA has done to harm the world in the last 200 years, a little help would be appreciated, welcome, and invaluable.

[MewWolf]

Things are changing and it's great. Solar power is less expensive than coal in India, which is kind of a big deal and I think it could mean great things.

[nintando]

I am so glad Hank made a video on this, I knew I could trust him when it comes to the facts surrounding the environment and the agreement as it's been really hard trying to understand and make sense of all of them when there are so many heated opinions around the topic. Thanks Hank!

[sara_sah-raezzat]

Hank I have a request, could you make a video with suggestions on what each of us can do to reduce climate change. There is so much info and it gets overwhelming. I would love to know what I am doing right and what I need to improve. If you're thinking of video ideas, that would be a good one.

[maddiemoate]

Thanks Hank, this was so well put together.

[AstolfoGayming]

I am glad that some states in the US have decided to stick with the plan, even if the nation as a whole decides to pull out.

[SheistyProductions]

Even if climate change isn't real, what is the harm in using renewable energy and respecting the planet?

[NGXII]

Hey all, do you think that talking about climate change would be more effective and influential if we referred to what's changing as Earth's "habitability", rather than just "the environment"? I think that the term "environment" already has deeply engrained and politicized connotations, so it's just become something that gets tuned out.. what are your thoughts?

[stressbucket]

Other countries: Do we have to pay for it?
America: pfft, nah we got it. WE will send YOU our money.

Other countries: Do our people have to make sacrifices right NOW right now?
America: nah, we'll do most of it, y'all keep doing your thing.

Other countries: Yeah! We're in! Hey, maybe we'll even take action in 2030.

[YAOES]

Breaking News: America taking away subsidies for Netflix, trying to bring back Blockbuster!

[curedtuber]

This is excellent. Thanks Hank. (Also, that last shot was beautiful.)

[starleska]

Thank you so much for this video, Hank. You've explained so much in so little time and have, as always, managed to be a better source of information on the subject than most other people. You're magnificent. Never change.

[JosephClayson]

Who's watching this after Biden rejoined the Accord?

[timb]

Scientists: "Look, see how this is destroying our fragile planet. If we don't stop everything will die."
Humans: "My political ideals are much more important, lets argue this out for a couple decades."
Earth: "FML"

[charlottemitchell]

Why do people just not care? That's the question I really struggle with. When I'm feeling particularly generous I try to put it down to ignorance, even apathy would be easier to stomach than what I think is the most likely explanation; plain old selfishness. I took a Conservation Biology module in my last semester at university and I really feel for the amazing people working in that field. It felt like lecture after lecture of how we (humans) are impacting on every taxon and every biome on the planet, with a smattering of success stories but one is always left wondering how long they will last. Trying to communicate the issues to the people in decision making positions must be like banging your head against a brick wall! Here, in the UK, the government are rolling out plans for fracking sites all over the countryside; the Yorkshire Dales and Sherwood Forest to name a couple. Advice from conservation groups and earth scientists on the risks to the environment, water systems and of seismic activity just roll off the back of policy makers when making money is a possibility. The feeling of being let down over and over again is exhausting and I really worry about where we are heading as a species.Apologies for the depressing comment but it's a sentiment I've been sitting on for a while now :/ I promise to go back to being awesome as soon as possible!