Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other US Mayors have vowed to meet the terms of the Paris Climate Accord despite President Trump’s announcement of America’s withdrawal.
US mayors have announced that they will work on their own to meet the agreements of the Paris Climate Accord.
In defiance of President Donald Trump’s announcement that he had withdrawn the US from the 2015 pact, more than 1,400 mayors of American cities with populations of 30,000 or more have formed the US Conference of Mayors and agreed to meet environmental goals.
Also rallying against the president is former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is forming a bipartisan coalition of states, cities and business leaders to meet the climate pact’s targets even as the president rescinds the nation’s commitment to it.
‘We don’t need Washington to tell us, ‘ the Republican mayor of Burnsville, Minnesota, Elizabeth Kautz told CBS News .
‘We’re going to do it because it’s the right thing to do.’
Jon Mitchell, the Democrat mayor of New Bedford, Massachusetts, said that several initiatives have long been underway in US cities across the country.
Such examples include LED lighting, proliferation of solar technology, and bike-share programs.
‘Virtually every city in America is doing these things, ‘ Mitchell told CBS News.
‘And to the extent that any of these initiatives are cost prohibitive, most of the states have incentive programs in place to fill the market gaps.
‘So, regardless of what the president says, these things are not going to slow down. The commitment is there and the rationale is compelling.’
Across the Atlantic, Bloomberg has built his own coalition of local officials, businesses and other groups to help reach climate benchmarks.
The business mogul met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo in Paris on Friday, where he announced his foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, would help coordinate a US effort called America’s Pledge.
He also pledged to provide the $15 million he says the UN Climate Change Secretariat will lose from President Trump’s withdrawal from the pact.
‘Americans don’t need Washington to meet our Paris commitment, and Americans are not going to let Washington stand in the way of fulfilling it, ‘ he said.
‘That’s the message mayors, governors, and business leaders all across the US have been sending.’
It remains unclear if Bloomberg’s newly formed group and the US Conference of Mayors will work together.
However, the White House appeared to encourage cooperation among local and state entities on their own.
‘If a mayor or a governor wants to enact a policy…they’re accountable to their own voters and that’s what they should do, ‘ said Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
‘We believe in states’ rights and so, if a locality, municipality or a state wants to enact a policy that their voters, or their citizens believe in, then that’s what they should do.’
‘Let me tell you that the mayors won’t quit, because for us – we live close to our people and we care about the environment, ‘ Kautz said.
‘We care about energy efficiency and we want to make sure that people know that mayors won’t quit.’
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