From Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

On the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, The Union of Concerned Scientists are concerned fossil fuel use is not falling.

Paris Agreement Turns 10, an Uplifting and Sobering Anniversary

December 12, 2025 | 10:10 am
Rachel Cleetus
Policy Director

Today marks the 10^th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement, a landmark global climate agreement that has demonstrably and powerfully helped focus global attention on climate action. It’s a sobering time to mark this day, though, because the trajectory of global heat-trapping emissions remains stubbornly, perilously high, and scientists confirm that the world is on track to overshoot 1.5°C of warming by the early 2030s. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has pulled the US out of the agreement yet again, the only country that has shamefully exited it (twice!)  

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Tackling climate change requires rapidly scaling up clean technologies and practices AND simultaneously phasing out fossil fuels. Both/and. Cheap renewable energy is already expanding rapidly across the world, and we have to accelerate that momentum. But there is no credible pathway of meeting climate goals without also advancing a fast, fair transition away from fossil fuels.   

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I’m sometimes asked if the current dire reality of the climate crisis proves that the Paris Agreement has failed. No, I don’t think so at all. …

The monumental failure here is that world leaders, especially those from richer countries, have reneged on the promises they made under the Paris Agreement. They have allowed fossil fuel interests to continue to dictate the world’s energy policies. They have ignored their obligations to poorer, less well-resourced countries. And they may have given lip service to science and the importance of the 1.5°C target, but they are actively undermining it in practice by continuing to expand fossil fuel production.  

…Read more: https://blog.ucs.org/rachel-cleetus/paris-agreement-turns-10-an-uplifting-and-sobering-anniversary/

So let’s see if I’ve got this right.

The Paris agreement hasn’t failed, it’s just world leaders have reneged on their obligations.

Renewables are scaling up, but we also have to reduce fossil fuel use.

The things these people believe.

The reason world leaders are ignoring their obligations under the Paris Agreement is because the Paris Agreement has failed.

The reason fossil fuel use is not dropping significantly despite the rollout of renewables is that renewables are not capable of replacing fossil fuel use.

I guess we can call this the denial phase of the five stages of grief. The next few years are going to be interesting, as greens finally accept, they have lost.