Chicago Joins Other US Cities Vowing To Adopt Paris Climate Accord

CHICAGO, IL — Mayor Rahm Emanuel has joined nearly 200 other U.S. mayors in objecting to President Donald Trump's decision Thursday to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, a voluntary and non-binding agreement designed to cut back global carbon emissions. The group, known as the Mayors' National Climate Action Agenda, has pledged to adopt the measures outlined by the international agreement in their cities, despite the current presidential administration's stance on the deal, according to a statement Thursday.

"The President’s decision to pull out of the Paris Accord is a poor attempt to pit environmental protection and economic growth against each other," Emanuel said in a statement Thursday following Trump's decision. "It’s a false choice. Chicago has proven you can create jobs while reducing your carbon footprint, and we will continue to do both." (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

The mayor pointed toward a recent analysis showing Chicago's 7 percent reduction in carbon emissions from 2010 to 2015, a decline that came while the city and the area saw a 12 percent growth in the economy and jobs, as well as a population increase of 25,000 people. Emanuel compared Chicago's drop in greenhouse gases to the equivalent of shutting down a coal plant for eight months. The city also bucked an overall 1 percent increase in emissions nationally from 2009 to 2014.

RELATED: Trump On Climate Accord: 'I Was Elected To Represent The Citizens Of Pittsburgh, Not Paris'

The study — which was generated by AECOM, a US multinational design and consulting firm, and represents the first 2015 emissions inventory for any major North American city — also showed Chicago produced 30.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2015, compared to 33.3 million in 2010, according to the mayor's office. In Chicago, 73 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from energy used to power residential, commercial and institutional buildings, and those emissions have seen a 10 percent decrease, the mayor's office said.

"The world is depending on cities in the US to take up the mantle of leadership on climate change," Emanuel said in a statement. "Chicago will happily accept that challenge."

Other mayors and cities who are part of this coalition — informally called the Climate Mayors — includes New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and even Elgin Mayor David Kaptain. Rahm — along with Kaptain and former Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl — is one of the founding partners of the group, which began under President Barack Obama's administration as a way to help pave the way for the United States to adopt the Paris Accord. More than 60 mayors had voiced their support for the cause at the beginning of the day Friday, June 2. By the end, that number had ballooned to almost 200.

"As 180 Mayors representing 40 million Americans, we will adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement," a statement from the group said. "We will intensify efforts to meet each of our cities’ current climate goals, push for new action to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, and work together to create a 21st century clean energy economy."

During his announcement Thursday to withdraw US involvement with the Paris Accord, Trump criticized the agreement's "draconian" measures and claimed it hurt the United States economically by not doing enough to rein in emissions by China and India.

"I cannot in good conscience support a deal that punishes the United States," he said. "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."

However, The president did say he was open to renegotiating the deal. But that's a step leaders from France, Germany and Italy said was not on the table going forward.

UPDATED (2:24 a.m. Saturday, June 3)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel (photo via City of Chicago)

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