RESEARCH ESSAY QUESTION
The United States and the Paris Climate Agreement
Question
On June 1, 2017, President Trump announced that he was withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, an international agreement designed to address the role of fossil fuels in climate change (Trump 2017; Shear 2017). With this announcement, the United States will join Nicaragua and Syria as the only three countries that have opted out of the agreement (Taylor 2017). As you might guess, this is a contentious issue, with some U.S. states and cities, U.S. business leaders, as well as U.S. allies entering the discussion (Abrams & Shen 2017; Lazo 2017; Watts & Connolly 2017).
Please discuss the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.
To answer this question thoroughly, you may want to consider the following questions (among others). What is the Paris Climate Agreement and how did it come about? What are its requirements overall and for the U.S. specifically? What are the potential costs and benefits of the accord? Which groups favor it and why? Which groups do not support it, and why not? Please add any other relevant information you can find.
Minimum length for answering the main question and the sub-questions is 1000 words.
If you wish to express your opinion in a brief concluding paragraph, after you have fully answered the questions, please feel free to do so. However, you are not required to express an opinion.
Sources and Strategies
Choose a variety of sources. First, use the library and/or the internet databases to learn more about this subject. Because this is a current event, please look for up-to-date articles in reputable popular media (for example, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, BBC, etc.). As well, look for expert analysis and historical background by scholars, participants and journalists. Be sure that your search for expert analysis and opinions includes voices from across the political spectrum, and if possible, from outside the United States as well as inside. I’ve given you a start with four sources, shown below. Wikipedia is NOT an acceptable source. Nor is any other encyclopedia. This subject has been in the news recently, so there are many good sources available.
Formatting Requirements
Length: The body of your research essay should be at least 1000 words (use “Word Count” to make sure you meet minimum length of 1000 words). Use Times New Roman font (12 point), with 1 inch margins all around. Please use double-spacing. Begin your response at the top of the page. Do NOT use a title page. Please include your name in the “header.” No other identifying information is needed. Please number your pagesSAVE A DIGITAL COPY FOR YOURSELF.
Tips on Essay Writing
Tips on writing an essay and “21 Writing Tips” are included in the “Research Essay” area on Blackboard. In addition, there is also information on the evaluation criteria.
Works Cited – this is just a start. Please be sure to look for other sources as well.
Abrams, Abigail and Lucinda Shen. 2017. “’Climate change is real’: Business leaders react to President Trump’s withdrawal from Paris Agreement;” Fortune; online at: http://fortune.com/2017/06/01/paris-climate-agreement-business-leaders-react/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Lazo, Alejandro. 2017. “U.S. States Defy Trump’s Climate Pact Withdrawal;” Wall Street Journal; June 2, 2017; online at https://www.wsj.com/articles/climate-change-u-s-states-cities-vow-to-press-ahead-1496395806 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Shear, Michael D. 2017. “Trump will withdraw U.S. from Paris Climate Agreement,” New York Times, June 1, 2017; online at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/climate/trump-paris-climate-agreement.html?_r=0 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Taylor, Adam. “Why Nicaragua and Syria didn’t join the Paris climate accord,” The Washington Post, May 31, 2017; online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/05/31/why-nicaragua-and-syria-didnt-join-the-paris-climate-accord/?utm_term=.f9abc7925d93 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Trump, Donald. 2017. “Statement by President Trump on the Paris Climate Accord;” White House Briefing Room; June 1, 2017; online at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/06/01/statement-president-trump-paris-climate-accord (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Watts, Jonathan and Kate Connolly. 2017. “World leaders react after Trump rejects Paris climate deal,” The Guardian; June 1, 2017; online at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/01/trump-withdraw-paris-climate-deal-world-leaders-react (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
You are welcome to use these sources, but you are not required to do so. In any case, be sure that you find enough high-quality sources to be able to answer the question clearly, thoroughly, and with sufficient detail. If you choose to use these sources, they’ll give you a pretty good start. There are plenty of good sources on this subject and they’re easy to find! If you need additional help finding sources, talk to a librarian.