Donald Trump

Emanuel Calls Reported U.S. Withdrawal From Paris Accord ‘Alarming'

Amid reports that President Donald Trump plans to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel issued a strong condemnation of the decision Wednesday.

Emanuel, whose administration has made it a point to address climate change and to save climate science from deletion from government databases, called the decision “alarming,” and said that Chicago would still act even if the United States withdraws from the agreement.

“Reports that President Trump is ready to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement are alarming,” Emanuel’s statement said. “We cannot afford to ignore the consensus of 194 countries and the entire scientific community. Reneging on the Paris Agreement is shortsighted and does not make climate change any less real.

“Chicago will not skirt our responsibility to act. We will work with cities around the country to reduce our emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement, and urge President Trump to keep our nation’s commitment as well.”

Axios reported Wednesday that Trump intended to pull the United States out of the agreement, which was signed onto by nearly 200 nations back in 2015. Nations who signed the deal agreed to voluntarily reduce their greenhouse emissions in an effort to curb climate change. 

According to NBC News, the European Union and China will both reaffirm their commitment to the agreement in summit meetings this week, whether or not the United States remains as a party in the deal.

Earlier this month, the mayor and the city of Chicago created a website called “Climate Change is Real,” which reposted climate change information that the White House reportedly erased from government websites, according to the Emanuel administration.

“The Trump administration can attempt to erase decades of work from scientists and federal employees on the reality of climate change, but burying your head in the sand doesn’t erase the problem,” Emanuel said in a press release on the creation of the website. 

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