Reaction to the decision last week of President Donald Trump to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement continued to build in the days following the announcement. Mayors and governors on the eco-right are not only speaking out but taking action to do their part to address this global issue.
A few highlights:
In Burnsville, Minnesota, Republican Mayor Elizabeth Kautz said the U.S. has an obligation to “protect the planet for our children” and predicted “we will exceed the Paris agreement in cities.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Carmel, Indiana Mayor Jim Brainard. “We keep hearing the rhetoric about greatness. Great countries keep their word and great countries show leadership,” he said, detailing the steps his city has taken to reduce emissions. “We switched out nearly all of the streetlights in our city to LEDs, spent a lot of money, almost $1 million, but we’re getting a 20 percent-plus rate of return on our investment…That’s a great rate of return.”
Two Republican governors quickly joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, a group of states committed to keeping the Paris agreement. “I am proud to join this bipartisan group of governors and reaffirm Vermont’s commitment to fighting climate change through the U.S. Climate Alliance,” Gov. Phil Scott said in a written statement.
He was joined by New England neighbor, Massachusetts Gov. Charlier Baker. “Our administration looks forward to continued, bipartisan collaboration with other states to protect the environment, grow the economy, and deliver a brighter future to the next generation,” Baker said in a statement. “As the Commonwealth reiterates its commitment to exceeding the emission reduction targets of the Paris Climate Agreement, today we join the US Climate Alliance to expand on our efforts while partnering with other states to combat climate change,” he said. Massachusetts is already committed to cutting its greenhouse gases 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
We’ll continue to watch forand report oncourageous climate action from the eco-right.