States defy Trump on climate
Alliance of governors formed to show president he’s alone in junking landmark 2015 Paris accord
When President Donald Trump announced he was junking the Paris climate deal Thursday, saying he was elected to represent “Pittsburgh, not Paris,” several US cities and states responded with a defiant counter-declaration: We’re staying in.
“As the mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that wewill follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future,” Democrat Bill Peduto tweeted in a swift, widely read retort to Trump’s move.
Pittsburgh’s mayor took to the airwaves to highlight the potential for grassroots climate change action by communities across the country.
“The actual implementation of Paris wasn’t going to happen in Washington anyways,” Peduto said.
“It was going to happen in the cities around this country, and we’ll double down and make sure it does,” he said.
The Democratic-led states of California, New York and Washington also asserted environmental independence, pledging to uphold the global accord’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
New alliance
“I don’t believe fighting reality is a good strategy,” California Gov. Jerry Brown said in a statement announcing the formation of the United States Climate Alliance (USCA).
“If the president is going to be Awol in this profoundly important human endeavor, then California and other states will step up,” said Brown, who championed environmental causes when he first served as governor in the 1970s.
Brown oversaw an expansion of California’s greenhouse gas reduction standards since returning to the post in 2011.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state of New York was committed to complying with the Paris standards—which call for US reduction of its emissions by 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels—“regardless of Washing- ton’s irresponsible actions.”
“We will not ignore the science and reality of climate change,” he said, adding that Trump’s “reckless” decision could have “devastating repercussions” for the planet.
California is the nation’s most populous state. Along with New York and Washington, the three represent more than a fifth of US gross domestic product. They have urged other states to join their movement.
The governors said the al- liance would work to sustain and strengthen existing climate programs, promote information sharing and best practices and implement new programs to reduce carbon emissions from all economic sectors.
Election issue
Democratic cities and states, aware that the American public is increasingly concerned about climate change, are taking their stand, perhaps in recognition that the issue could become a pivotal one in the congressional and governor elections in 2018, and perhaps the presidential race in 2020.
“Make no mistake, climate change is on the ballot for every election until we reverse this immoral action,” said Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii.
The island state’s governor, David Ige, said in a statement that Hawaii was “already taking concrete steps to implement the Paris Accord” and will continue to do so.
The US Conference of Mayors, an umbrella group for leaders of the 1,200 American cities with 30,000 or more inhabitants, issued a call to action similar to that of USCA.
“Climate change is one of the greatest threats to our coastal communities, nation and world, and we need coordinated action,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a conference vice president.
New Orleans, a coastal city in Louisiana, faces a triple threat of subsidence, coastal erosion and sea level rise, Landrieu explained.