On Thursday, President Trump announced the great news that he is withdrawing the U. S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, and the response across the internet was predictable. On Friday, dozens of states and cities announced that they had established a “United States Climate Alliance” to meet the U. S.’s commitment without Washington.
Thus far, the California-led effort seems focused on lowering carbon emissions and not on the government’s financial commitments.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
President Trump may be quitting the Paris accord on climate change — but forcing the rest of the nation to go along with him is proving more of a challenge.Led by California, dozens of states and cities across the country responded Friday to Trump’s attack on the worldwide agreement by vowing to fulfill the U.S. commitment without Washington — a goal that is not out of reach.The defiance is a signal to the world that the political forces behind America’s climate fight aim to outmaneuver this White House and to resume the nation’s leadership role when Trump changes jobs or changes his mind.The pushback also reflects how far most of the country — including many Republican parts — already have moved in transitioning to cleaner energy, even as Trump works to slow that momentum.“The American government may have pulled out of the agreement, but the American people remain committed to it — and we will meet our targets,” former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a special envoy for cities and climate change to the United Nations, said Friday after meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
Considering that part of President Trump’s winning presidential campaign was focused on withdrawing the U. S. from this accord, Bloomberg’s statement may be a bit of a stretch. That said, quite a number of states and cities have pledged to reduce their own carbon emissions.
Watch:
The governors of California, New York and Washington State created the United States Climate Alliance to convene states upholding the Paris Agreement and those “taking aggressive action on climate change,” they said in a statement.. . . . The alliance plans to promote the sharing of information, environmental best practices and also “implement new programs to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors of the economy.”
Governors who have proclaimed their continued support for the accord include:– Charlie Baker, Massachusetts– Jerry Brown, California– Kate Brown, Oregon– Andrew Cuomo, New York– John Hickenlooper, Colorado– David Y. Ige, Hawaii– Jay Inslee, Washington– Dannel P. Malloy, Connecticut– Terry McAuliffe, Virginia– Gina M. Raimondo, Rhode IslandA group of 61 mayors said they “will adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement.”The group includes:– Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Boston– Bill de Blasio, New York City– Rahm Emanuel, Chicago– Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles– Jim Kenney, Philadelphia– Mitch Landrieu, New Orleans– Ed Murray, Seattle
Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, has also joined the United States Climate Alliance.
The Paris Climate Agreement was not solely a commitment to lower emissions; it also entails “investment” in green energy, wealth redistribution on a global scale, widespread propaganda efforts on climate change, and “sustainable development.” It will be interesting to see how these states and cities approach the rest of the accord, including its astronomical cost to taxpayers.
States and cities have the right to reduce carbon emissions if they wish to do so, and unless these states cross a line (like attempting to enter a treaty or compact with Paris Agreement signatories independent of the federal government), they are welcome to reduce their carbon emissions.
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