US states, cities, firms unite behind Paris climate deal
new york — State governors, city mayors and powerful companies united on Friday in defiance of President Donald Trump’s pledge to take the United States out of the Paris climate accord, pledging to meet greenhouse gas emission targets regardless.
A majority of Americans in every state, or 69 per cent of US voters, believe the United States should participate in the agreement, according to a recent opinion poll carried out by Yale University’s program on climate change communication.
At least two Republican governors announced on Friday they were partnering with Democraticrun states to combat climate change after Trump’s announcement sparked swift condemnation from academics, industry leaders and environmental experts.
US billionaire, philanthropist and UN envoy for climate change Michael Bloomberg pledged $15 million to support the agreement’s coordinating agency if necessary — the sum it stands to lose should the United States refuse to pay its share.
“Americans will honour and fulfill the Paris agreement by leading from the bottom up,” he said, flying to the French capital to meet President Emmanuel Macron in an expression of solidarity.
“Mayors, governors and business leaders from both political parties are signing onto a statement of support that we will submit to the UN — and together, we will reach the emission reduction goals the US made in Paris in 2015,” said Bloomberg.
The United States — the world’s second largest greenhouse gas emitter — pledged in the Paris climate deal to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming by 26 per cent in a 20-year period by 2025.
The New York Times said that Bloomberg’s unnamed group so far includes 30 mayors, three governors, more than 80 university presidents and more than 100 businesses.
The Democratic-led states of California, New York and Washington announced separately that they were forming a United States Climate Alliance committed to upholding Paris emissions commitments and urged others to climb on board.
Charlie Baker and Phil Scott, the Republican governors of Massachusetts and Vermont respectively, announced that their liberal northeastern states were joining the Climate Alliance and committed to the goals of the Paris agreement, as did their Democratic counterparts in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Around 150 mayors, who say they represent 47 million Americans, have also committed to uphold the Paris commitments, intensify efforts to meet climate goals and increase investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. —