"We Do Not Have Time To Wait For A New Administration": Charlotte Responds To Trump's Withdrawal From Paris Accord

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Within hours of President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. would be withdrawing from the Paris Accord, the city of Charlotte announced it was still committed to the environmental pact going forward as it joined a growing list of cities openly defying the Administration’s stance on climate change.

Trump announced June 1 that America would withdraw from the international agreement that bound all countries to promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Including the U.S., there are 190 countries committed to the Paris Accord, and only two countries -- Syria and Nicaragua -- have not signed the agreement.

“I am deeply disappointed in President Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Accord, but Charlotte is no less determined to do our part to combat climate change,” Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said in a statement Thursday. “I have joined 68 mayors from across the country in committing to ‘adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement.”

Charlotte’s efforts to combat climate change include adopting the Envision Charlotte program aimed at reducing the city’s carbon footprint by 19 percent uptown and shaving $26 million in utility costs, Roberts said.

“Climate change is an issue that affects us all, and we do not have time to wait for a new administration,” Roberts said.

North Carolina's Governor Roy Cooper echoed Roberts, saying, “Pulling out of the Paris Accord is wrong for our country, our children, and the generations to come.” He added: “The United States should be a leader in fighting pollution."

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said he applauded Trump’s decision to withdraw, tweeting that the Paris Accord was “a bad deal for the American people -- it hampers economic growth, burdens jobs creators, and stifles innovation.”

From the military’s perspective, climate change leads to “more famine, more conflict, more terrorism,” Rep. Alma Adams said in a tweet.

Watch video of the mixed reaction from Trump’s announcement:

Video of Trump announcing the withdrawal from the Paris Accord:

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Charlotte Patch. iPhone users can download the Patch app in the App Store. Plus, like Charlotte Patch on Facebook.)

What do you think about President Trump’s decision to abandon the Paris Accord? Sound off in the comment section below.

Photo via Pixabay