The U.S. Administration has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord

by Rebekah Revello

In a controversial move, the U.S. Presidential Administration has decided to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, a landmark agreement signed by over 190 nations in 2015, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions that have led to drastic and worrisome changes in the climate. Despite hard evidence that climate change is occurring and will get worse the longer preventative measures are put off, President Trump maintained that the decision was made in the defense of American citizens, who he sees as being unfairly targeted by the Agreement. Disputing this claim are the dozens of cities, states and companies that are already monitoring their emissions and are committed to incorporating clean energy. And from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles, from New York to Washington, from General Electric to Goldman Sachs, they have pledged to remain in the Paris Climate Agreement, regardless of what the federal government decides to do. According to the New York Times, a group that includes 30 mayors, three governors, over 80 university presidents and more than 100 businesses has already started negotiating with the United Nations to submit its own plan to meet the United States’ greenhouse gas emission targets. 

IHC Global is pleased to see these efforts, especially from cities, which are responsible for a large amount of the harmful emissions in the earth’s atmosphere and in many places, particularly those that are low lying, find their most vulnerable citizens being disproportionately affected by “super storms” and other aspects of extreme weather.  Although it is disappointing to see the US stand down from a global commitment, US cities and states committing to the Paris Agreement (#livebyParis), together with their counterparts in other countries and other national governments, can nonetheless address climate issues with good effect and so doing contribute also to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda with which many of its aims are intertwined.  

Read the New York Times article here.