Obama’s legacy on climate at stake in landmark Paris talks

Science

Obama’s legacy on climate at stake in landmark Paris talks

Six years after a fiasco in Copenhagen and a year before he leaves office, President Obama heads to a terror-scarred Paris Sunday night to tackle one of the most important priorities of his second term — climate change. Obama has been laying the groundwork for years ahead of the United Nations’ two-week conference, where nearly 200 countries will be hammering out a pact to cut global emissions. Finally a deal to slow global warming seems to be within reach, even if it is less ambitious and less far-reaching than was first hoped.

Though his environmental legacy at this point is mixed, Obama has made it a priority of his second term. But it’s unclear if the president will be remembered for his actions on the environment, especially given that a hostile and skeptical Congress has forced him to use executive action — an easier legacy to erase than legislation, as it can be reversed by the next president. A big global agreement at Paris would be much harder for a future president to erase. Ultimately, Obama can’t control what other countries do. All he can do is lead by example — and hope that, unlike his opponents at home, his counterparts from around the world understand what is at stake.