Cleveland Vows To Fight Climate Change

CLEVELAND, OH — Mayor Frank Jackson and the city of Cleveland will honor the Paris Climate Accord, the city announced on Sunday. Jackson is joining the Climate Mayors, also known as Mayors' National Climate Action Agenda, is a network of municipal leaders that have agreed to honor the climate agreement.

Jackson has said he intends to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Cleveland by 80 percent by 2050. He posted a video to Facebook reaffirming his commitment to the city's sustainability goals.

“We’re in support of a worldwide climate action plan and we are committed to doing our part here in Cleveland. It is simply the right thing to do,” Jackson said in a statement. “We have a responsibility to leave for future generation a more green, vibrant and healthy Cleveland."

Jackson is joining 200 other mayors in Climate Mayors, including Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel, 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 Elgin Mayor David Kaptain.

The Climate Mayors began under President Barack Obama's administration as a way to help pave the way for the United States to adopt the Paris Accord.

"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.

Joe Vince, Patch, contributed to this report

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch