New York Mayor Bill de Blasio commits NYC to Paris agreement

Impact

For New York City's mayor, the Paris agreement needs no renegotiation.

One day after President Donald Trump announced the United States' withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an executive order committing the city to adhering to the agreement's goals.

"We here in New York City are shocked at the development this week in Washington, D.C., to see the president of the United States pull out of the Paris accord and literally set this nation, and the whole globe, on the path of denial," de Blasio said in a video tweeted by the mayor's office.

"The actions of President Trump have undermined what we're doing and what cities and states all over the country are doing, and that means we have to go farther," de Blasio said. "We have to take matters into our own hands."

De Blasio posted the text of the executive order, which asks city agencies to create a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by Sept. 30, on Twitter.

De Blasio is not the only U.S. mayor who has beef with Trump.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto slammed Trump and his reference to Pittsburgh in his Paris accord withdrawal speech on Twitter.

"As the mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris agreement for our people, our economy and our future," he wrote.

Peduto then pointed out that over 80% of voters in Pittsburgh chose Hillary Clinton, not Trump, in November.

De Blasio is one of several mayors who have used their local authority to uphold the ideals of the Paris agreement. In total, 180 mayors and several governors have stepped in to do the job the federal government will not.

In a statement, 180 mayors representing 50 million Americans said they would "adopt, honor and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris agreement."

"The world cannot wait — and neither will we," it reads.

Co-signers included de Blasio, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Not to be left out, several Democratic governors have begun to form an alliance of states dedicated to upholding the agreement, as well. According to the New York Times, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and California Gov. Jerry Brown are already in on the state-by-state pact.

"The electric jolt of the last 48 hours is accelerating this process that was already underway," Robert C. Orr, one of the architects of the Paris agreement and a dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, told the Times. "It’s not just the volume of actors that is increasing, it’s that they are starting to coordinate in a much more integral way."

Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined his successor in support of the climate change agreement by opening his wallet and offering $15 million to the U.N. agency tasked with implementing the agreement.

"Americans will honor and fulfill the Paris agreement by leading from the bottom up — and there isn't anything Washington can do to stop us," Bloomberg said, according to NPR.