CALIFORNIA, United States (Reuters) — State governors and city mayors were quick to claim the mantle of United States 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 US 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 US 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.
