Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images
A series of announcements over the weekend at a United Nations climate summit
has bolstered hope that global emissions may still fall in line with the goals of the Paris agreement, heading off
the more severe effects of climate change. These new pledges
come in a year that was bound to be a significant test for the global agreement, even before the Trump administration's withdrawal from it and the global spread of Covid-19.
First, let’s rewind. Five years ago, 195 countries came together to forge the Paris accord after decades of failed attempts to comprehensively address climate change. The countries