Delaware Gov. John Carney joined his counterparts in two dozen other states in denouncing the Trump Administration’s decision to exit the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Delaware is a member of the United States Climate Alliance issued the following statement opposing the administration’s formal submission of its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Members of the group noted that states that are members of the alliance have economies that are growing faster than the national average.
The administration claims the U.S. is a leading nation in cutting greenhouse gases that should not take moves would hurt the nation’s economy. The president has made statements that deny or downplay the impact of climate change.
The U.S. stands virtually alone in its opposition to the accord, which allows nations to set their own standards and has been criticized for having no mechanisms that would reduce greenhouse gases
The group is mainly comprised of Democrats but includes Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
Opponents in Delaware say current actions by the state are hobbling the economy while acknowledging that the price of cleaner energy is dropping.
“The Paris Agreement is the framework for global cooperation to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. Of the roughly 187 countries that have joined the agreement, the United States is alone in initiating a formal withdrawal. Under the agreement, each nation develops its own emission reduction target and all nations are held accountable to those targets. The agreement also challenges countries to increase their ambition over time, bringing us ever closer to the goal of limiting temperature increases to 2°C, and with efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. The United States led the world in forging this strong, historic Agreement, and the United States should support the Agreement, not abandon it,” the group stated.
The group noted that 77 percent of U.S. voters support the Paris Agreement.
“Moreover, we have demonstrated that economic growth and climate action go hand-in-hand. Alliance states have reduced emissions faster than the rest of the country while growing per capita GDP three times as fast. Climate action is a driver of – not a deterrent to – innovation and economic strength, the statement noted.
