Donald Trump has announced that he will withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Paris Mayor and C40 Chair Anne Hidalgo and several other global C40 mayors have made statements reacting to the news.
“Climate change is real: it poses a unique threat to the future of our planet, and puts in peril the health, prosperity, security and the very survival of our children and grandchildren. The scientific evidence is undeniable and beyond doubt. 2016 was the hottest year globally since temperature records began and 16 of the planet’s 17 hottest years on record have occurred in the 21st century.
The effects of climate disruption are already being felt in the great cities of the world, from hurricanes in New Orleans and New York, floods in Paris, Houston and Montreal, deadly heatwaves in Sydney, to toxic air pollution in Beijing, New Delhi and in all large cities. This explains why more than 190 nations decided to sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015.
That incredible diplomatic achievement could not have been secured without the decisive role of the United States of America. That is why it is a dramatic mistake for President Trump to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement.
As the C40 Chair, a network of ninety-one of the world’s major cities committed to tackling climate change, and as the Mayor of Paris, I urge the US Administration to reconsider their decision. The next four years will be crucial in determining if the worst effects of climate change can be avoided. American leadership on this urgent challenge is needed now more than ever.
Regardless of President Trump’s decision, the great cities of the world, in particular the twelve American C40 cities, remain resolutely committed to doing what needs to be done to implement the Paris Agreement.
Not a single day goes by without C40 mayors on every continent making bold and pioneering choices, serving citizens of the future. We will be relentless. The evidence and urgency of the climate crisis as well as the economic potential in shifting towards a greener future, leaves us no alternative.”
Anne Hidalgo
Mayor of Paris & C40 Chair
“The decision taken by President Trump will not mark a setback in the fight of Milano against climate change.
We will honour our commitment. It is our duty to take all available measures to ensure a better quality of life for our citizens.
Milano shall keep on working in the framework of the Paris Agreement”.
Giuseppe Sala
Mayor of Milan
The US have announced their withdrawal from the #ParisAgreement. My statement on how climate change remains one of the key risks to humanity pic.twitter.com/bpBleA4ls5
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 1, 2017
“As the Mayor of Stockholm, a city with healthy and prosperous economic growth and decreasing carbon emissions, I would like to express my strong support and solidarity with all U.S cities as you work to aggressively fight climate change and improve the health and well-being of your communities and your local economies. I will stand by your side as we, as Mayors, will continue the fight against climate change together.”
Karin Wanngård
Mayor of Stockholm
“President Trump’s announcement to pull the US out of the Paris Accord is a tremendous setback for international cooperation. The US President leaves the responsibility to Europe and the rest of the world. The C40 cities will step up efforts to ensure that cities across the world deliver on the agreed targets to fight climate change.”
Raymond Johansen,
Governing Mayor of Oslo
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