As the world battles the effects of climate change, the Paris Agreement remains a crucial international treaty aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. However, the fate of the Paris Agreement in the United States has been a topic of heated debate since former President Donald Trump pulled out of the accord in 2017. So, did Congress ratify the Paris Agreement?

The short answer is no. Congress has not ratified the Paris Agreement. As an international treaty, the Paris Agreement would typically require Senate approval to become law in the United States. However, former President Barack Obama`s administration argued that the agreement did not constitute a treaty and therefore did not require Senate approval.

Instead, the Obama administration relied on the president`s executive authority to join the Paris Agreement. In 2016, the United States formally joined the Paris Agreement under the Obama administration, with then-Secretary of State John Kerry signing the agreement on behalf of the country.

However, former President Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the agreement in 2017, citing concerns about the impact of the agreement on the American economy. In November 2020, the United States officially withdrew from the Paris Agreement, making it the only country to have done so.

Despite the United States` withdrawal, President Joe Biden has made rejoining the Paris Agreement a priority for his administration. Just hours after his inauguration in January 2021, President Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the treaty, which took effect 30 days later.

In conclusion, while Congress has not ratified the Paris Agreement, the United States has been a signatory to the accord since 2016. The recent withdrawal and subsequent rejoining of the agreement underscores the political nature of climate change policies and the power of executive action in the absence of congressional approval.