LOS ANGELES — In the week since the President pulled the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, 279 Climate Mayors — a peer-to-peer network Mayor Garcetti co-founded in 2014 — have pledged to adopt, honor, and uphold the Paris Agreement goals in their cities.
When the President announced the withdrawal on June 1, 61 Climate Mayors spoke up together in support of the agreement. One week later, the number of Climate Mayors more than quadrupled in size, representing nearly one in five Americans.
Mayor Garcetti and the Climate Mayors responded forcefully to the Administration’s decision to leave the Paris Agreement last week, each making a strong commitment to uphold its standards in their own cities.
“Last week, Democratic and Republican mayors from cities across America came together to say ‘Enough’ — we will not let the future of our world be jeopardized by inaction at the very top,” said Mayor Garcetti. “Now, mayors from every corner of our nation are joining the call to action, and uniting to carry the fight against climate change forward in our cities.”
The Climate Mayors now include nine of the 10 largest cities in America — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Dallas, and San Jose — along with hundreds of additional cities large and small, from Boston to Knoxville to the City of Miami, in both red and blue states. In all, the 279 Climate Mayors now represent 59 million Americans from 42 states.
“This is a top priority for the people of Boston and the American people,” said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “We see the impacts of climate change every day in the streets and homes of our cities — the extreme heat, flooding, and increasing health issues. It’s our responsibility to act, and I’m proud to stand among the growing number of Climate Mayors fighting for our residents.”
“We believe that The City of Miami is ground zero for climate change and sea level rise,” said Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado. “Now, more than ever, we are undeterred and will vigorously pursue our commitment to this fight. This is not just about ‘the here and now,’ but for generations to come.”
“Protecting the climate is not a choice between our environment and our economy,” said Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero. “As we have shown in Knoxville, we can strengthen both while making Knoxville a better community. No matter the attitude of the president, we will continue to advance our local values by upholding the principles and commitment of the Paris Agreement.”
In Los Angeles, Mayor Garcetti has led the effort to make L.A. the most sustainable city in America. In April 2015, he introduced the city’s first ever Sustainable City pLAn, a comprehensive roadmap that lays out measurable long-term goals for efforts like conserving water, creating green jobs, expanding the use of electric vehicles, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45% below 1990 levels by 2025, and 80% by 2050. The City is on track to meet 90% of the pLAn’s 2017 goals.
You can see the text, map of and full list of signatories to the Climate Mayors commitment to adopt the Paris Agreement goals. To learn more about Climate Mayors, visit www.climate-mayors.org.You can also engage with Climate Mayors on Facebook, Twitter and Medium.
Mayor Garcetti is the co-founder of the Climate Mayors (also known as the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda, or MNCAA), a network of 289 U.S. cities representing more than 62 million Americans — working together to strengthen local efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting efforts for binding federal and global-level policymaking. Earlier this year, Mayor Garcetti led the release of an EV RFI with 30 MNCAA cities to demonstrate potential demand for over 114,000 electric vehicles, trucks, and equipment for cities. Mayor Garcetti is also Vice Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, an international network of the world’s megacities taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and he has signed the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.