Today, Donald Trump announced he intends to withdraw the U.S from the Paris Climate Agreement and ignore the vast majority of Americans, businesses and the scientific community who support the U.S.’s participation.
A recent Yale Program on Climate Change Communication Poll found that nearly 70 percent of Americans support staying, including a majority in all 50 states. Businesses from Microsoft to Google to Walmart to Exxon wanted the U.S. to stay in the Agreement. With this decision Trump is turning his back on jobs, his obligation to act on this crisis, and on the safety of our communities.
Amid Trump's decision to leave Paris, other nations like India, China, the EU, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the Least Developed Countries, and others have all reconfirmed their commitment to continue to take aggressive climate action under the Agreement. The Paris Climate agreement is giong to move full speed ahead.
Trump’s choice to leave will cede America’s role internationally to nations like China and India, which will benefit handsomely from embracing the booming clean energy economy while Trump seeks to drive our country back into the 19th century. Surrendering clean energy markets to that US families are missing out on jobs and growth.
Where do we go from here?
The world should know that state and local action in the United States is moving strongly forward even in the face of Trump's historic mistake.
Recent Sierra Club analysis shows that with local actions by elected leaders and businesses, we can achieve upwards of 60% of the emissions reductions set in the Paris Agreement can be met. We are taking that challenge to the streets to protect our climate, build up our clean energy economy, and put the planet first.
In 2016, the United States signed the Paris Accord and pledged to reduce our emissions 26-28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025. According to the latest EPA GHG Inventory, by the end of 2015, the nation was already 44% of the way to meeting its 2025 Paris target in large part because of that community-based, local action.
Since Donald Trump took office, Sierra Club has helped retire 7 coal plants across 6 states, including the massive 2400MW Stuart coal plant in Ohio. 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.
With our allies, Sierra Club members and supporters have helped retire more than 250 polluting coal plants and ensured more than 25 American cities have already committed to getting 100 percent of their energy from clean, renewable sources by 2030.
The momentum is the economy, the people, and our businesses is aligned with a clean energy economy. The Sierra Club will continue to harness this energy and empower communities to act on climate locally over the next few years.
Become a Sierra Club Member, donate to the Idaho Chapter, or contact us to get involved!
