Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti announced Thursday afternoon that he was proud to continue to adopt goals of the Paris Agreement with 60 fellow mayors, who are committed to the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (MNCAA).
The agenda, also known as Climate Mayors, is a network of 88 U.S. mayors, representing over 43 million Americans all over the country, working together to strengthen local efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting efforts for binding federal and global-level policy making.
In response to U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the organization, led by Garcetti, published a statement Thursday, saying they would adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the 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 statement said.
They pledged to increase investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and will buy and create more demand for electric cars and trucks.
"If the President wants to break the promises made to our allies enshrined in the historic Paris Agreement, we'll build and strengthen relationships around the world to protect the planet from devastating climate risks." the mayors said.
Until Thursday noon, 61 mayors signed their names in the statement, including almost all mayors of the big cities in the United Sates, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix and Denver.
"Climate change is a fact of life that people in Los Angeles and cities around the world live with every day. It is a grave threat to our health, our environment, and our economy - and it is not debatable or negotiable," said Garcetti in a statement released shortly after Trump's announcement.
"This is an urgent challenge, and it's much bigger than one person. With the President pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, L.A. will lead by committing to the goals of the accord - and will work closely with cities across America and the world to do the same," he said.
