One of President Donald Trump’s most controversial acts has been to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, which was a global agreement made by virtually all world powers to aid in the urgent fight against climate change. However, once he took office, Trump promptly pulled the United States out of the agreement, angering allies and adversaries alike. Now that the official pullout has begun, according to the United States State Department, governors in states around the nation are pushing back. The unified governors said the following of the Trump Administration’s action:
“In response to that action, U.S. governors from California, New York and Washington State launched the United States Climate Alliance to affirm their commitment to uphold the goals of the Agreement.”
“We are now a bipartisan coalition of 25 governors and must stand up—once again—to reaffirm our commitment to supporting climate action and to strongly oppose the Administration’s decision to formally withdraw from the Paris Agreement. We believe all leaders have a critical responsibility to address the global climate crisis.”
“The Paris Agreement is the framework for global cooperation to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. Of the roughly 187 countries that have joined the Agreement, the United States is alone in initiating a formal withdrawal.”
The U.S.Climate Alliance, as the governors are formally known, are responsible for $11.7 million of the United States economy and over half of the population of the United States. Though they are mostly Democrats, there are at least two Republican governors committed to the alliance. Collectively, there are 25 states, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Trump says the Paris Climate Accord is unfair to the United States, while the governors and their allies insist we are in the midst of a catastrophic world crisis. There was pushback from Trump’s State Department regarding the public relations aspect of their actions, and they said:
“We will continue to work with our global partners to enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change and prepare for and respond to natural disasters.”
“Just as we have in the past, the United States will continue to research, innovate, and grow our economy while reducing emissions and extending a helping hand to our friends and partners around the globe.”
There will be continued contention on the issue of climate change, and businesses as well as governors and foreign leaders will likely continue to show contempt for the Trump Administration’s position. It remains to be seen as to whether the State Department’s statements will continue to evolve, or whether President Trump himself will reverse course. The governors, however, seem determined when it comes to reassuring American leadership on the issue of climate change, as well as other matters of global crises and potential crises. World stage leadership is always complicated, and this is just another issue on which there is tension.
