Delaware joins alliance to fight climate change

Matthew Albright | The News Journal

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Delaware has joined a coalition of states and cities promising to tackle global climate change despite President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of an international agreement to limit the scale of global warming.

"The U.S. should lead in the global fight against climate change," Carney said in a statement announcing the move. "Delaware is proud to join this coalition of states providing that necessary leadership."

Delaware was one of nine new states to join the United Climate Alliance on Monday, along with Puerto Rico, bringing total membership to 20. The Alliance aims to reduce emissions by 26-28 percent from 2005 levels and meet or exceed the targets of the federal Clean Power Plan.

The idea is for the United States to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Accord even though Trump announced the country was withdrawing from it.

"I don't believe fighting reality is a good strategy – not for America, not for anybody," said Jerry Brown, the California governor. "If the President is going to be AWOL in this profoundly important human endeavor, then California and other states will step up."

Carney said it made sense for Delaware to join the coalition because it is particularly at risk.

"Delaware is the country’s lowest-lying state and with 381 miles of coastline, climate change is a very real threat to our future," Carney said. "As sea levels rise, more than 17,000 Delaware homes, nearly 500 miles of roadway and thousands of acres of wildlife habitat including our critical wetlands are at risk of permanent inundation. Rising average temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events also pose health risks to Delawareans, and threaten our economy."

Carney and members of Delaware's Congressional delegation condemned Trump for removing the U.S. from the accord, which was designed to prevent the global temperature from rising more than two degrees Celsius.

"Since President Trump refuses to lead in tackling the greatest environmental challenge of our time, it is now up to all of us," said Sen. Tom Carper, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "A dozen states, a thousand U.S. cities and thousands of business leaders are already stepping up, continuing to cut emissions and creating jobs while doing so.

Climate scientists, environmentalists and industry titans, including the DuPont Co., all urged Trump to keep the U.S. in the agreement, to which former President Barack Obama had committed the country.

But in his speech announcing the withdrawal, Trump said the agreement would impose "draconian financial and economic burdens" on the country, a notion those who negotiated it have challenged.

Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@delawareonline.com, (302) 324-2428 or on Twitter @TNJ_malbright.