Local Politicians Are Leaving President Trump Behind In Continuing To Meet Paris Climate Agreements

The United Nations General Assembly has met this week in New York City (USA) to discuss a range of topics from dealing with the international refugee crisis through North Korea's ambitious threats to the world with Nuclear Weapons to the U.S. withdrawal of the Paris Climate Accord.  Earlier in the week, I wrote about the ridiculousness of the United States withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement on the notion that the President wanted to 'renegotiate terms which favor the U.S.'.  This line of reasoning makes zero sense since the greenhouse gas reductions set by each country can be altered after the first check point in four years.



Despite having the President on board, local politicians (Governors and Mayors) have taken upon themselves the responsibility to ensure that their respective regions will meet the Paris Climate Agreement limits regardless of what the White House says.  This is great news.  Back in late Summer, Governor Brown announced that a summit would be held in a year of two to discuss the next steps forward.  He signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" with China - which I wrote about here.  Great progress.



Now, Mayor Rahm Emanuel (of Chicago) will hold a conference this December as announced in a press release in the Chicago Sun Times:

Mayors who opted to go it alone on reducing greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming–even after President Donald Trump rejected the Paris climate agreement–will gather in Chicago in December to share their ideas.

On Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, Chicago will host a “Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy North American Climate Summit” that brings together leaders of, what Mayor Rahm Emanuel calls the “NAFTA cities” in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Participating leaders will include: Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo; Montreal’s Denis Coderre; Austin Mayor Steve Adler; Atlanta’s Kasim Reed and a host of other mayors from around the world.

Together the mayors will talk about the progress they’ve made, then celebrate the “most innovative and impactful efforts to tackle climate change” during the Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards that will coincide with the two-day Chicago summit.

“We’ll all sign our customized plans on how we’re gonna reach the Paris protocols, then make our information public…on a benchmark basis so we can show what contributions we’re making,” Emanuel said Monday during a panel discussion on the subject of climate change hosted by the New York Times.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel went onto say that two realizations made this transition possible:

First, people no longer see reducing greenhouse emissions as, what the mayor called a “threat to economic vitality.” That’s a “major shift…to where the debate was 20 years ago around Kyoto,” the mayor said.

The second change was caused by extreme weather events, including Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, along with “world events” that include “drought, refugee, migration issues in Europe,” Emanuel said.

The above excerpts are in line with other mayors and governor statements in the last few months since June when President Trump announced that he would initiate the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement.  In a blog post I wrote shortly after the announcement, governors and mayors immediately said their intentions would be not to follow suite of the President.  With the news above, action is starting in terms of conferences are being announced and formally scheduled regarding future action.  This is wonderful news.



Remember, one of the early opposition to President Trump's decision was Governor Jerry Brown of California.  In a post shortly after the U.S. decision to withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, Governor Brown decided to sign a "Memorandum of Understanding" which translates to a commitment to stick to the stated (or agreed upon) limits or targets for future dates. The signed agreement is a perfect example of a politician who has done their homework and understands the simplicity and benefits of converting our demand toward a renewable future.  Remember, in an earlier post, I show letters of support for massive (trillions of dollars worth) amounts of investment for companies investing in renewable energy in the years to come.  Why not follow suite and change for the better?



Unfortunately, the Trump Administration does not understand these benefits and believes that the international community is benefiting while the U.S. is losing.  That could not be further from the truth.  Here is a video in a post from the President of the European Commission  describing President Trump's understanding of the Paris Agreement and his decision to withdrawal the U.S. from the agreement.



With the international community encouraging President Trump to stay in the Paris Agreement -- which is an agreement based on "self-imposed" greenhouse gas reductions, why would the United States not want to be part of a greater movement?  I am left without words to an extent.  If I must provide an answer -- the answer is that the President does not understand the agreement.



In closing, change is on the horizon.  The question for the reader -- you -- is what side of the change will you reside on.  Will you choose to ignore the change that is inevitable?  Or will you keep an open mind and listen to the international community?  The investment in the future will take many components from many governments.  Change will not occur overnight.  Although, certain economies (like China) are being transformed and based around renewable energy models.  Which is why each of us should be open-minded toward change and relay that same expectation to our elected politicians.