New Haven Mayor Toni Harp added her name to those of 186 other mayors on a statement vowing to join an international effort to battle climate change — even if President Donald Trump is pulling the federal government away from it.
The mayors issued the statement in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that the U.S. is pulling out of the Paris climate change accord.
The mayors wrote in the statement that they “will continue to lead” because “the world cannot wait — and neither will we.” They vowed to invest more in renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric cars and trucks, and efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Harp noted in a separate statement issued by her office that New Haven has been busily doing much of that for years. And in January Harp signed a a plan for New Haven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050
“As 187 U.S. Mayors representing 52 million Americans, we will adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement. We will intensify efforts to meet each of our cities’ current climate goals, push for new action to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, and work together to create a 21st century clean energy economy,” the mayors wrote in their statement.
In announcing his decision Thursday, President Trump said he represents “Pittsburgh, not Paris.” Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto was among the 187 mayors signing the response statement.