June 02, 2017 at 10:44PM
On June 1, President Donald Trump announced that the US will exit the Paris Agreement on climate change.
But not all cities want to withdraw from the accord.
The city of Pittsburgh aims to transition to 100% renewable energy sources — like wind and solar — by 2035. On June 2, Mayor Bill Peduto said that he is joining a coalition that intends to uphold the Paris Agreement, called Mayors for 100% Clean Energy.
The coalition, an initiative of the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 Campaign, represents a growing number of US mayors who have endorsed a community-wide goal of switching completely to clean energy.
Thirty cities, three states, more than 80 university presidents, and more than 100 companies recently launched another group with similar goals. Organized by billionaire philanthropist and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, that coalition will submit a plan to the United Nations that commits to greenhouse-gas limits set in the Paris Agreement, according to The New York Times.
In Trump's speech announcing the planned withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement, the president said: "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris."
On Twitter, Peduto responded, "As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future."
Fact: Hillary Clinton received 80% of the vote in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh stands with the world & will follow Paris Agreement @HillaryClinton https://t.co/cibJyT7MAK
— bill peduto (@billpeduto) June 1, 2017
"Donald Trump said he was elected by voters of Pittsburgh, but his misguided decision to withdraw from the Paris climate does not reflect the values of our city," Peduto said in a press release announcing the city's plan to go 100% renewable. "Pittsburgh will not only heed the guidelines of the Paris agreement, we will work to move towards 100 percent clean and renewable energy for our future, our economy, and our people."
SEE ALSO: Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is launching a coalition to defy Trump and uphold the Paris Agreement
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