Why future of climate action is at heart of US election

THE upcoming US presidential election will not just be decisive in settling a slew of major domestic issues for at least four years. It will also have a profound impact on key international ones - with perhaps the biggest being the future of global climate action.

For one of the massive dividing lines in the ballot is the differing positions of Donald Trump and Joe Biden on the future of the Paris climate treaty. Mr Trump has already set in motion US withdrawal from the landmark agreement - scheduled to take effect soon after election day - while Mr Biden would re-instate US participation which began under the Obama presidency.

It is no exaggeration to assert therefore that the ballot outcome will have a monumental impact on global environmental efforts in the 2020s: either bolstering or retarding international efforts to tackle global warming - which could well be the most serious challenge facing humanity in the 21st century. If Mr Biden wins - as many hope internationally including me - there will be a renewed jolt of optimism in the battle to tackle climate change.