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Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that North Carolina will work to reduce pollution in support of the Paris climate agreement. President Donald Trump announced a week earlier that the United States will be withdrawing from the agreement.
“Pulling out of the Paris Accord is wrong for our country, our children, and the generations to come,” Cooper said in a statement released Tuesday. “North Carolina’s commitment to clean air and a healthy environment will remain a priority despite the lack of forward thinking leadership from the current Administration.”
The Paris Agreement aims to reduce global warming and the impact of the nearly 200 countries involved in the agreement on the environment. More than 1,000 leaders, including mayors, governors, college and university leaders and businesses signed an open letter to the international community showing their commitment to take action and “provide the leadership necessary to meet our Paris commitment.”
“We are getting out, but we will start to negotiate, and we will see if we can make a deal that’s fair,” Trump said in his announcement.
Dennis Smith, a junior studying business administration, expressed his opinion on Cooper’s decision.
“I think it’s a great thing to show a commitment to protecting the environment even when the federal government shows disregard for it,” Smith said. “It’s embarrassing that we’re one of three countries not in the agreement and I think it’s great that some states and cities are stepping up.”
The Paris Agreement was signed in December 2015 by all nations except Syria and Nicaragua, and it is considered the first global commitment to combat climate change. Many experts believed the agreement showed promise to succeed where past attempts had failed because it allowed each country to set their own emission reduction goals and to create a customized plan on how to reach those goals.
According to the open letter, titled “We Are Still In,” signed by Cooper and other state and local government leaders, “the Trump administration’s announcement undermines a key pillar in the fight against climate change and damages the world’s ability to avoid the most dangerous and costly effects of climate change” and “is out of step with what is happening in the United States.”
Local and state governments in the United States, along with businesses, have primarily been responsible for the decrease in greenhouse gas emissions in recent years. In the letter, leaders vow that actions by these groups to further decrease greenhouse gas emissions will continue to grow and accelerate, no matter what actions Washington takes or policies it adopts.
“In the absence of leadership from Washington, states, cities, colleges and universities, businesses and investors, representing a sizeable percentage of the U.S. economy will pursue ambitious climate goals, working together to take forceful action and to ensure that the U.S. remains a global leader in reducing emission,” the letter said.
Julia Rosenblatt, a junior studying nutrition, expressed her support for the decisions made by local leaders.
“I think it’s nice that smaller government is willing to take a step up and do what they think is right rather than just following what the president thinks,” Rosenblatt said.
Cooper pointed to bipartisan efforts in North Carolina, such as the Clean Smokestacks Act and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, that made North Carolina a national model for reducing air pollution and a national leader in solar energy. By signing the letter, Cooper continues North Carolina’s tradition of working for a healthier environment and improving public health.
“North Carolina knows that clean air and energy innovation are good for our economy and health, and we’re committed to continuing to lead in this area even if Washington isn’t,” Cooper said.
During his time as attorney general, Cooper led legal battles that forced polluters, such as the Tennessee Valley authority, to clean up their emissions when the federal government would not.
In a statement, the office of Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane said that the mayor is engaged in the work of initiatives that support the Paris Agreement.
“Mayor McFarlane signed on to the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement through the US Conference of Mayors (USCM), a bi-partisan effort that includes over 1000 mayors that have signed on from across the United States,” the statement reads. “The USCM has also cited this agreement in response to the failure of the executive branch to engage with the Paris Climate Accord.”
By signing the open letter, Cooper joins the governors of California, Connecticut, Oregon, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington and Hawaii as a state leaders in committing to helping the U.S. meet the goals it originally set in the Paris agreement.
For more information and the view the full letter, visit www.wearestillin.com.