GRAND RAPIDS, MI - In the face of President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss is joining a coalition of more than 80 U.S. mayors who are pledging to uphold the goals of the agreement.

"This morning, I joined mayors from around the country in reaffirming our commitment to addressing climate change," Bliss said in a statement Friday, June 2. "As a city, we remain dedicated to getting to 100 percent renewable energy by 2025."

Bliss announced Friday that she is adding her signature to an open letter from the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda - a group known as the Climate Mayors. The group commits U.S. mayors to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting federal and global policymaking.

In doing so, Grand Rapids joins cities including Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver, Milwaukee, Nashville, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Portland and San Francisco in taking a stand for climate action.

Other Michigan mayors to sign off on the letter are Christopher Taylor in Ann Arbor and Jim Carruthers in Traverse City.

Under Bliss' leadership, citywide tree planting efforts have been underway. Progress on reaching renewable energy goals in the city has been slower, but this year the city announced its Water Resource Recovery Facility will be adding a biodigester that is expected to produce 60 percent of the facility's energy needs.

Plans for a solar array at the former Butterworth Landfill site fell through after the company the city was working with disappeared.

Friday Trumps supporters cast his decision to abandon the world's climate change pact as a "refreshing" stance for the U.S. that would save jobs and unburden industry.

Leaders from other nations and scientists pointed to jobs that could be created in green technology and the edge China could be given as a result.

China has overtaken the U.S. in transitioning to renewable energy, generating a fifth of its electricity from renewable sources. The U.S. only sources about 13 percent of its electricity from renewable energy.

The Paris deal "really put an extraordinary burden on the economy while allowing some countries around the world like China and India go a decade or more without any accountability for reducing CO2 emissions," Vice President Mike Pence said in a television interview on Fox News Friday.

He said the deal would have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

"In a very real sense, it was a transfer of wealth from the most powerful economy in the world to other countries around the planet," Pence said.

Scientists say Earth is likely to reach more dangerous levels of warming sooner as a result of the president's decision because America's pollution contributes so much to rising temperatures. Calculations suggest withdrawal from the Paris accord could result in emissions of up to 3 billion tons of additional carbon dioxide a year -- enough to melt ice sheets faster, raise seas higher and trigger more extreme weather.

At home, American mayors gave Trump's announcement a frosty rebuke. The letter from the Climate Mayors reads:

"The President's denial of global warming is getting a cold reception from America's cities.

"As 83 Mayors representing 40 million Americans, we will adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris 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.

"We will continue to lead. We are increasing investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. We will buy and create more demand for electric cars and trucks. We will increase our efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, create a clean energy economy, and stand for environmental justice. And 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 world cannot wait -- and neither will we."

The immediate impact of Trump's move could be largely symbolic. The White House said the U.S. will stop contributing to the United Nations Green Climate Fund and will stop reporting carbon data as required by the Paris accord, although domestic regulations require that reporting anyway. The decision has no direct impact on major U.S. regulations on power plants and car rules currently aimed at reducing carbon emissions, although those are currently under review by Trump as well.

"This agreement is less about the climate and more about other countries gaining a financial advantage over the United States," Trump said.

Congressional Republicans applauded the decision, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky saying Trump had "put families and jobs ahead of left-wing ideology and should be commended."

But House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California called it "a stunning abdication of American leadership and a grave threat to our planet's future."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.