A new era of U.S. climate action has dawned. In the four short days since President Trump announced his intent to withdraw from the landmark Paris Agreement, more than 1,000 U.S. states, cities, businesses, and universities have organized themselves into an unprecedented coalition dedicated to continuing strong U.S. climate leadership. In their “We Are Still In” statement issued yesterday, American governors, mayors, investors, CEOs, and college and university leaders are sending a clear signal that they remain committed to the goals of the Paris Agreement and will press forward regardless. This action opens a new chapter in the history of international collaboration on climate change.
States, cities, and businesses are not new to the climate scene: they have made impressive commitments to clean energy and reduced emissions in recent years through various platforms like Under2MOU, C40, and Low Carbon USA. But internationally, where sovereign nations negotiated the Paris Agreement, subnational actors have tended to play second fiddle—until now.
By virtually any measure, the combined size of the signatories to the June 5 “We Are Still In” pledge is larger than most countries. The cities and states that have signed the statement range from Los Angeles and Oregon to Houston, Tallahassee, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. They have a combined GDP of $6.2 trillion and population of 120 million. The more than 900 signatory companies (so far) have combined revenue of $1.4 trillion and assets under management of $2.1 trillion. And the number of participants continues to climb by the hour.
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