- Title: California to lead state level movement to ignore Trump climate exit
- Date: 2nd June 2017
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MAY 31, 2017) (REUTERS) MEMBERS OF SIERRA CLUB MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BILL CORCORAN, DIRECTOR OF SIERRA CLUB - WEST, SAYING: "Just as Europe has decided that it has to go its own way to deal with President Trump, communities and states across the country are going to have to do the same thing to continue the progress that Americans are already making on clean energy. We can meet the carbon goals, the greenhouse gas emission goals of the Paris agreement if we just continue to close down coal plants, build wind turbines, put up solar and increase energy efficiency in communities and create jobs doing that. So it's up to communities and the states to continue the progress that President Trump seems determined to halt."
- Embargoed: 16th June 2017 21:24
- Keywords: global warming carbon emissions greenhouse gases Paris Trump climate change California
- Location: SAN DIEGO, PALM SPRINGS, SACRAMENTO, LOS ANGELES, FOLSOM LAKE, CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES
- City: SAN DIEGO, PALM SPRINGS, SACRAMENTO, LOS ANGELES, FOLSOM LAKE, CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0086JL7HAF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: State governors and city mayors were quick to claim the mantle of U.S. leadership in fighting climate change after President Donald Trump said on Thursday (June 1) the country will pull out of the Paris climate agreement.
The officials said they collectively could show the international community that the United States remained committed to cutting the emissions that scientists blame for global warming. Governors and analysts cited moves including California's effort to get 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.
"When Trump goes rogue, California goes mainstream. And mainstream is dealing with climate change. And doing that with China and later with Europe, we'll get a lot done," California Governor Jerry Brown told Reuters.
More states could follow California and neighboring Oregon's lead on low-carbon fuel standards, expand zero emission vehicle requirements and potentially merge carbon measures such as taxes, caps and trading, the governors and analysts said.
Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Paris accord, saying that its requirement to cut U.S. emission of carbon dioxide threatened millions of jobs and productivity. He said he would start a process that could last four years to withdraw from the deal, which has been signed by almost every other nation on Earth.
California Governor Brown is heading to China on Friday to lead a conference of states and other "subnational" actors making voluntary commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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