TRUMP’S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE PARIS ACCORD IS MOBILIZING CITIES & STATES

…Here’s a Chicago demonstration against Trump’s Paris Climate withdrawal

 

What cities and states are doing for dealing with climate changes cannot replace what can be done on a federal level.

The good news is that Donald Trump is not the only one taking advantage of Twitter, as the Mayor of Pittsburg And the Governor of Oregon have taken to Twitter to counter comments from our president.  That was for when he stated:  “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,” as he announced the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord.

 

Pittsburgh’s Democratic Mayor, Bill Peduto, quickly tweeted this rebuke:  “Hillary won 80% of Pittsburg votes and Pittsburg stands with the world & will still follow the Paris Agreement.”

 

But it didn’t stop there as the Governor of Oregon, Kate Brown tweeted: “Oregon has led the fight against climate change.  I’m glad the states and cities are stepping up regardless of decisions by the White House to retreat.”

 

Soon many local and state government leaders were announcing their own commitments to the Paris accord. One group declared it would create its own climate plan to submit to the United Nations. As the New York Times reports, “[this group] includes 30 mayors, three governors, more than 80 university presidents and more than 100 businesses.”  And this group is growing.

 

Will even more state and local governments do the same?  The research indicates that many will. But will their efforts be enough to replace federal policy?  Probably not, but it shows that the interest in doing so definitely is not with this White House.

 

Historically, when George W. Bush stepped away from the Kyoto Protocol, cities and states stepped in.  Beginning immediately and continuing over the next eight years, state governments responded by passing a myriad of climate change policies.

 

Today, 34 states have a climate action plan, which identifies ways the state can pursue climate change mitigation.  And 29 states have enacted a renewable portfolio standard.  This is a regulation that mandates utilities increase the percentage of energy they sell from renewable sources by a specified amount and a specific date.

 

Our own California has taken the lead, enacting tough automobile emissions standards and lofty targets for the state’s share of energy production that comes from renewable energy.

 

Research also shows that as citizens become more attentive to and concerned with climate change, state governments become more likely to pass climate legislation. For example, increases in Google searches for environmental issues increases the likelihood that a state will adopt climate policy.

Many other states have followed California’s example, and now have laws, regulations or policies that require monitoring emissions, improving building standards to mandate energy conservation and creating “climate action plans” for those efforts. In fact, all 50 states have at least one climate change mitigation law in place. Many have 10 or more.

 

Some states have worked together in their climate-policy pursuits. For instance, nine northeastern states — Maine, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont are part of a CO2 "cap and trade" system that began back in 2009.

 

Research indicates that the states that aggressively establish climate change policies are likely to have a more liberal populations.  Those state legislatures were led by Democrats and when a state’s citizens have a high rate of Sierra Club membership, that state is especially likely to commit itself to policies that mitigate climate change.

In addition, liberal state governments try to learn from and copy other liberal states’ successful policies, which spreads policies across states.

 

Also consider the fact that a Red state like Utah wasn’t an early bird on climate change policy.  But between 2007 and 2009, as Utah faced severe droughts and wildfires that many linked to climate change, the state legislature promulgated more regulations. States that face very observable new weather patterns linked to climate change are now acutely aware of the federal government’s lack of action — and are positioned to try to fill this gap.

Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris accords is already mobilizing groups, municipalities and states to act more aggressively to slow the climate change. 

 

State and local governments can also make renewable energy investments and encourage the renewable industry through greenhouse gas targets and renewable standards.  These standards vary widely and in some states they institute weak voluntary standards.  As an example, South Carolina has a goal of only a 2% renewable energy share by 2021.  But other states aim very high, with Hawaii aiming for a target of 100% of renewable share by 2045, with substantial increases every year.

 

But these patchwork efforts, while important, will not be a substitute for national action.

 

The federal government can negotiate internationally in a way that state and local governments simply cannot. And federal standards can require every state to get involved, not just the most motivated states.

 

Without a federal mandate, unfortunately, many states will just continue to sit on their hands.

 

Copyright G.Ater  2017