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Cities and States Vow to Resist Trump’s Withdrawal From the Paris Agreement

Even the mayor of Pittsburgh thinks Trump’s withdrawal from the climate accord is misguided.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image: Kevin Case/Flickr/CC-by-2.0

Late Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would immediately "cease all implementation of the nationally determined contribution" to the Paris climate accord. The formal withdrawal process from the landmark climate agreement will take four years, but in the meantime local American politicians are vowing to uphold the standards of the Paris agreement in their own jurisdictions.

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"If [Trump] opts out of the Paris agreement, we will adopt it here, and I will get 80 other cities to adopt it too," Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, said in a tweet. The governor of California, Jerry Brown, had some stronger words during a press conference Thursday afternoon.

"California will resist because this effort is misguided, Brown said. "This is an insane move by this President."

"While our President may be AWOL in the battle against climate change, we're…on the field ready for battle," Brown added.

Read More: California Governor: Leaving Paris Agreement Is an 'Insane Move' Made by a Deviant

These sentiments were also echoed by Andrew Cuomo, who tweeted that "withdrawing from the Paris Accord is reckless" and vowed to sign an executive order "affirming NY's role in fighting climate change." He'll be receiving help from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who tweeted that it was "unconscionable" for Trump to abandon the Paris accord.

Governors Cuomo, Brown and Jay Inslee of Washington state further announced they were forming a new state group, the United States Climate Alliance, in which participants would agree to uphold the emissions reductions goals of the Paris Agreement.

Throughout his speech, Trump kept dropping a brilliant alliteration about how his decision to withdraw from the accord was about "Pittsburgh, not Paris." But Bill Peduto, the mayor of Pittsburgh, obviously didn't get the memo. During Trump's speech, Peduto tweeted that "As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future."

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Peduto also reminded the President that Hillary Clinton had received 80 percent of the vote in Pittsburgh, challenging the Trump's assertion that he was "elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."

The support from local and state politicians keeps pouring in. Portland's city council will be voting today to establish 100 percent renewable energy in the city by 2050. Greg Stanton, Phoenix mayor and environment committee chair of the US Conference of Mayors, also said the organization "supports the Paris agreement, which positions the world's nations, including the United States, to be energy independent, self-reliant and resilient."

Even former President Obama threw a little shade toward his successor, posting a short manifesto in the middle of Trump's speech about the importance of the Paris climate accord.

"The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created," Obama said. "I'm confident that our states, cities and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way."

Read More: Goodbye Paris, Goodbye World

Between Obama and Elon Musk—who said he is departing from two Presidential advisory councils in response to the President's withdrawal from the accord—the local politicians of the United States will be in good company as they work to shape a climate friendly future in this country, without the blessing of the commander in chief.

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Take a look at some of the other state and city leaders tweeting in support of the Paris Agreement following Trump's announcement:

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