Companies Forge Ahead on US Climate Change Goals

By Randi Morrison posted 06-05-2017 12:05 PM

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Members of a coalition consisting of more than 100 businesses, 30 cities, 80 university presidents, and the states of California, New York, and Washington reportedly (see here and here) plan to affirm to the United Nations their intent to uphold the US climate-related objectives memorialized in the Paris Agreement.

Last week, in response to the Trump administration's decision to withdraw (see also here) from the Agreement (as reported in last week's Society Alert), the governors of those three states - which represent more than one-fifth of the US GDP (the California economy alone ranking sixth worldwide - reportedly larger than most of the 190 nations signed onto the Agreement) and nearly one-fifth of the US population, and accounting for at least 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions - announced the formation of the United States Climate Alliance, a coalition of states committed to upholding the US climate change objectives as reflected in that Agreement. Additional states that reportedly have joined the coalition include Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont, and ten additional states purportedly have expressed an interest in joining. Other states are being encouraged to join.

According to Governor Brown's announcement, in addition to serving as the forum for state involvement vis a vis the Paris Agreement, the newly-formed Alliance will also "act as a forum to sustain and strengthen existing climate programs, promote the sharing of information and best practices, and implement new programs to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors of the economy."

See also this Statement from California Governor Jerry Brown; this Statement from over 200 US mayors committing to honor the Paris Agreement goals; and these additional articles: "Top CEOs tell the CEO president: You're wrong on Paris" from CNNMoney, and "Why Paris Matters Less Than It Seems" from the WSJ.

Stay tuned for more information in this Wednesday's Society Alert.

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