US society still committed to climate deal

America is already almost halfway to reaching its Paris commitment — thanks largely to consumer preferences and market forces

orld leaders have been meeting in Bonn, Germany, since last week to discuss carrying out the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Sadly, though not unexpectedly, the White House and federal agencies have largely been absent from the negotiating table. But American leaders from state capitols, city halls and businesses across the country have shown up in force, and have delivered a unified message to the world: American society remains committed to our pledge under the agreement.

Over the past two months, Americans have experienced or witnessed raging wildfires and devastating storms, from Santa Rosa, California, to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Warming seas, along with hotter and drier days, make these storms and fires more intense and destructive. Climate change is not a future threat; it is happening now, and we are paying for it in lost lives and billions of dollars in damage. The United States has always led the way in confronting global challenges, especially ones that profoundly affect America. US President Donald Trump’s vow to withdraw from the Paris agreement by 2020 was a troubling abdication of that leadership, and it threatened to send a dangerously wrong message: That the US is abandoning the pledge it made in Paris to reduce emissions at least 26 per cent by 2025.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Most Americans strongly support the Paris agreement, and thousands of mayors, governors, chief executives and others stepped forward to reaffirm their commitment to it after the president walked away from the accord. Together, these states, cities and businesses constitute more than half of the US economy and, if they were a separate country, would make up the third-largest economy in the world.

President Trump’s action has had the effect of galvanising these groups — and many have taken bold actions in recent months.

California just extended its landmark cap-and-trade emissions programme through 2030, and has adopted incentives that will help put 1.5 million electric and other zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. Chicago has proposed an energy rating system for its large buildings to drive down emissions substantially, with $70 million (Dh257.46 million) in projected annual savings on utility bills. Companies in a wide variety of industries — from Bloomberg to Wal-Mart — have pledged to procure 100 per cent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025 or sooner. And broader trends, including falling renewable energy costs and the retirement of additional coal-fired power plants, continue to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

Bolder actions

To ensure the world sees the continued commitment of the US to tackling climate change, and the extent to which local governments and businesses are driving progress, America has introduced an initiative called America’s Pledge, which will document the progress it is making — and the bolder actions it must still take — to meet its Paris commitments.

For instance, more states can opt in to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a carbon pricing programme involving nine Northeast and mid-Atlantic states to drive down power plants emissions, or California’s independently managed vehicle emissions programmes, including its Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, which nine states have adopted.

And more businesses can follow the lead of the 43 American supermarket chains that have committed to reducing their emissions of hydrofluorocarbons, a potent greenhouse gas used in refrigeration. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Red Bull and Unilever have installed more than 5.5 million air-conditioning units using hydrofluorocarbon-free refrigerants worldwide, with nearly 400,000 of those installed in the US. More companies can follow their lead.

Together, these actions will strengthen the economy and improve public health, while also helping the US move faster towards its Paris commitment. Over the next year, we will aggregate and quantify these actions and continue pushing for new efforts to speed up decarbonisation.

The Paris agreement succeeded where previous attempts failed because it solicited nationally determined pledges from nations based on local actions already taking place. For the US to reach its commitment, much more needs to be done.

Michael R. Bloomberg is the former mayor of New York City and the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for cities and climate change. Jerry Brown is the Governor of California since 2011.

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