The Sierra Club just released this meaty press releaseon President Donald Trump and the Paris agreement on climate change. According to reports, the administration will soon announce the U.S. is pulling out of the agreement.
Fierce reaction is already coming from countries around the world and in states and cities across the USA ahead of Trump’s possible withdrawal of the US from the Paris agreement. It’s clear that if that happens, Trump will leave America alone and isolated, as we hand global leadership over to others. Many have noted that only war-torn Syria and Nicaragua have not signed–though Nicaragua actually wants the agreement to be even stronger.
Read much more about the broad and deep support for the Paris agreement by American voters, the business community, and other nations here.
INTERNATIONALLY:
Countries around the world are making their concerns loud and clear, and the implications could be stark for America’s role in the world.
G7 (Or should we call it the G6 now?): Trump’s climate denial resulted in the first ever separate G-6 statement at the G7, when the U.S. refused to join the other leading nations of the world in committing to honoring the Paris pact.
Germany: Today, the rift with other powers became even starker when, as reported by Politico Germany’s challenger for the chancellorship, Martin Schulz, vowed trade retaliation against Trump over a Paris pull out, including refusing to engage in transatlantic trade talks the administration has sought.
EU-China Cooperation: Just ahead of Trump’s decision, China and the EU have seized the leadership role once held by the U.S, forming a historic climate diplomacy alliance. EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete announced that “The EU and China are joining forces to forge ahead on the implementation of the Paris agreement and accelerate the global transition to clean energy.”
EU: The EU backlash has been swift and sharp. Yesterday, President of the European Council Donald Tusk directly challenged Trump on Twitter, stating, “please don’t change the (political) climate for the worse.” Tusk’s European Commission counterpart, President Jean-Claude Juncker also condemned Trump, while suggesting that he does not understand the agreement.
Canada: Our northern neighbors have also floated trade retaliation previously in others contexts, in the form of a ban on U.S. coal exports. Trump’s climate isolationism continues to undermine cooperation on all levels.
Mexico: In November, the New York Times reported Rodolfo Lacy Tamayo, Mexico’s under secretary for environmental policy and planning, saying that “A carbon tariff against the United States is an option for us,” … “We will apply any kind of policy necessary to defend the quality of life for our people, to protect our environment and to protect our industries.”
France: Former President Nicolas Sarkozy previously suggested an EU carbon Tax on U.S. products in retaliation, and it is known that recently elected President Macron has made it very clear to Trump that this issue is a top priority of his.
DOMESTICALLY:
Meanwhile, here at home cities and states are making it known that they will lead if Trump fails to, communicating to the world that even if Trump buries his head in the sand our nation won’t do the same. Clean energy will keep growing without him. That’s true even, as the New York Times reports, in coal country.
In fact, since Donald Trump took office, Sierra Club has helped retire 7 coal plants across 6 states, including the the massive 2400MW Stuart coal plant in Ohio. Just yesterday, three coal plants shut down. Also since January, utility Xcel Energy announced the largest single clean energy investment in US history – $4B worth of new wind energy across 8 states.
Already, analysis of DOE data shows that, nationally, clean energy jobs outnumber all fossil fuel jobs by over 2.5 to 1; and they outnumber all jobs in coal and gas by 5 to 1. A full 41 states and Washington, D.C. (80% of the total) have more clean energy jobs than fossil fuel jobs from all sources.
Separately, WRI has shown that the U.S. states which have voiced support for the Paris Agreement represent, in combination, the world’s 5th largest economy, 6th largest emitter and 12th most populous country.
CITIES & STATES:
California: America’s largest state is picking up the slack in a big way, including partnering with nations like Canada on climate. Gov. Brown says: “Mr. Trump is not only up against California, he’s up against the rest of the world, not to mention science itself” … “And it’s very obvious who’s going to win.”
Orlando: Yesterday, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced support for powering the City of Orlando entirely with clean and renewable energy by 2050. The Mayor’s support in this initiative further expands the City’s goal to achieve all municipal electricity coming 100 percent from renewable sources by 2030.
New York: Mayor De Blasio came out strong for climate action in the face of Trump. “President Trump should know that climate change is a dagger aimed straight at the heart of New York City,” the mayor tweeted on Wednesday. “We’ll take matters into our own hands.”
Chicago: “Chicago will not skirt our responsibility to act,” Mayor Emanuel said in a statement. “We will work with cities around the country to reduce our emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement, and urge President Trump to keep our nation’s commitment as well.”
Atlanta and Boston: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed called Trump’s intentions an “assault on our future stability,” while Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said, “If this administration turns its back to the environment, cities like Boston will have to step up.”
Los Angeles: “If the White House withdraws from the Paris climate accord, we’re going to adopt it in Los Angeles,” Mayor Garcetti tweeted. There are more than 10 million people in Los Angeles county, and the city is the third largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a GDP of more than $700 billion.
Conference of Mayors: U.S. Conference of Mayors Vice President Mayor Steve Benjamin along with his Mayors for 100% Clean Energy co-chairs yesterday introduced a landmark resolution to the U.S. Conference of Mayors that would formally establish support from the nation’s mayors for the goal of 100 percent renewable energy in cities nationwide.