Local leaders join pledge to honor Paris climate accord

Hawaii political leaders, including Gov. David Ige, have joined a growing coalition of governors, mayors, business leaders and academics throughout the country who have pledged to continue combating climate change despite President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that he was pulling the United States out of the Paris climate agreement.

Ige has joined at least a dozen other governors in signing on to the U.S. Climate Alliance, which seeks to uphold the Paris agreement. Ige also plans to sign a bill tomorrow that requires the state to adopt certain provisions outlined in the Paris agreement for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

State Attorney General Doug Chin, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho have also joined the “We Are Still In” coalition, which also seeks to advance U.S. targets laid out in the Paris agreement.

“Climate change is of unique importance to our island state, and I will be working with my fellow attorneys general to find ways to act effectively, even when the federal government won’t,” said Chin in a statement.

More than 100 mayors, 19 state attorneys general, dozens of college and university presidents, and hundreds of company executives have also joined with the “We Are Still In” coalition.

“It is imperative that the world know that in the U.S., the actors that will provide the leadership necessary to meet our Paris commitment are found in city halls, state capitals, colleges and universities, investors and businesses,” according to an “open letter to the international community,” posted on the coalition’s website. “Together, we will remain actively engaged with the international community as part of the global effort to hold warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit our security, prosperity, and health.”

Trump said the climate change agreement, a legacy of former President Barack Obama, would hurt American jobs, place stiff financial burdens on the country and benefit other countries at the expense of the United States, in announcing his decision to pull out of the accord last week.