WE ACT on Trump’s Decision to Exit Paris Climate Agreement

May 31, 2017
Media Contact: Brooke Havlik, 212-961-1000 ext. 320, brooke@weact.org

New York, NY — Major news sources are reporting that President Trump has made the decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The President tweeted this morning that the official decision will be released within days. The agreement has commitments from over 190 nations worldwide, and the widely condemned plan to exit means the U.S. would join Nicaragua and Syria as some of the only nations not committed to stopping the climate crisis. It also means the U.S., the world’s second-largest emitter, will break ranks with the nearly universal agreement on climate action. 

In response, WE ACT’s Executive Director, Peggy Shepard issued the following statement:

“President Trump’s move to exit the Paris Climate Agreement is a colossal mistake. His careless decision—without consideration of the irrefutable science or engagement with the public on this issue—signals that he is out of whack with reality.  According to new Yale research, 70% of registered voters want to stay in the COP21 agreement. And why do they want to stay in the agreement? Because they are already witnessing hotter summers, more floods, and the economic costs of extreme weather—and they know it will only get worse. 70% of American voters know there will be devastating human suffering because of President Trump’s ambivalence towards scientific facts and evidence.  In my own city of NYC, the local residents who are least responsible for this problem are the most likely to suffer the consequences of climate change.  

But here is the good news: the fight for climate justice is being led by frontline communities, indigenous activists, and grassroots groups nationwide—and we have COLLECTIVE POWER. The public is not on the GOP’s side with this shameful decision. We will continue to work at the local, state and federal level to ensure that communities of color and low-income communities voices are heard nationwide in the decision-making process, and that our elected political leadership fights for climate justice.”

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