I'm a 28-year-old who previously served as the youngest advisor on the @UN Secretary-General's #climateaction team.

I'm 100% in for bold & unprecedented action, because that's what the science demands.

But I want to comment on a few takes that I find concerning...

THREAD https://twitter.com/usclimatestrike/status/1248689563704442881

First, re: the #ParisAgreement, it's important to understand that this is not just a "piece of paper."

The Paris Agreement took decades to negotiate, because of the competing demands of developed vs developing countries. The US' role was ultimately paramount to its success.

In 2014, the US & China made a joint announcement on climate change, which was a watershed moment in the lead-up to the #ParisAgreement.

This was the first time the two countries signaled that they would act in a coordinated manner to combat climate change.

Ultimately, in 2015, the agreement came to life.

We always knew it was not ambitious enough, that the individual country commitments (officially called Nationally Determined Contributions) would not keep us under 1.5 degree of warming.

But there's a plan for that...

It's called the "ratchet mechanism."

Fancy @UNFCCC terminology that means that, every 5 years, countries must come back with revised climate plans based on the latest science & tech.

That's why @COP26 in the UK is so important. That's the deadline for the new plans.

If Trump is re-elected & withdraws from the #ParisAgreement, the entire thing will fall apart.

That means China & other major emitters will almost certainly not revise their plans.

This matters, because the #climateemergency is a global emergency. We can't solve it alone.

In sum, the world is hedging its bets on the outcome of the US election.

There is huge opportunity in this. With @COP26 now pushed to 2021 due to #COVID19, the next president has time to put together a bold US climate plan.

This is why electing @JoeBiden is our only option.

In the words of @ewarren, personnel is policy.

We need to ensure that @JoeBiden has the right people around him & appointed to the positions that matter most. For example, let's put @JayInslee in charge of the EPA.

Then, from day 1, climate needs to be the organizing principal of the administration. From the State Department to the Department of Defense to the NSC, #climateaction should be at the forefront.

& I'm optimistic that a @JoeBiden administration would take this seriously.

This is where the movement comes into play.

I don't buy the argument that we can't sway Joe Biden on policy— we already have.

& again, it's not just about one person, it's about the entire apparatus surrounding that person. We have the cream of the crop to choose from.

The point is that without electing @JoeBiden, the #ParisAgreement falls apart & we lose a generation worth of progress.

By electing Biden, yes we have to keep fighting very, very hard for the level of ambition we want/need, but at least it's a fight we have a chance at winning.

With Biden, we have a chance to sway the US' position & put forward an ambitious domestic climate plan— in line with the latest science— as part of our contribution to the #ParisAgreement.

We will regain our position as a global leader, pushing other countries to do the same.

One country alone cannot defeat the #climatecrisis.

We must do everything we can to protect the #ParisAgreement b/c we NEED all hands on deck. Every. Single. Country.

& that is why the US election is a make-or-break moment for our collective future.

THREAD OVER (for now).