Statement on President Trump’s Decision to Withdraw U.S. from Paris Climate Accord
The Bay Area Council today (June 1) issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s withdrawing the United States from the landmark 2015 U.N. Convention of Parties climate change agreement (COP21). The Council has long supported California’s global leadership on clean energy and was the first major business group to endorse the historic California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. In 2016, the Council hosted energy ministers from the world’s largest 23 economies and the European Union for the Clean Energy Ministerial 7 (CEM7) in San Francisco—a follow-up to the COP21 talks—and next week is leading a delegation to Beijing for CEM8 along with Governor Jerry Brown.
“California and the Bay Area remain on an irreversible course forward to lead the world into a sustainable clean energy future,” said Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council. “Addressing climate change is not just an environmental or moral imperative, it is an economic imperative and an economic opportunity. California’s ambitious assault on climate change has spawned a vibrant and fast-growing clean technology industry that is creating new jobs, attracting investment and new businesses and producing innovative new products. It has also given us a strong competitive advantage in a sector we believe will continue to grow and thrive as more and more companies embrace a clean energy future.”
The Bay Area Council is working on a variety of initiatives focused on addressing the climate change challenge, including:
- Promoting urban infill and transit-oriented housing development that reduces long, polluting commutes
- Building stronger connections with China and other countries to expand the development and use of clean energy technologies
- Championing investment in the expansion and modernization of mass transit systems, including BART, ferries and Caltrain
- Leading an innovative regional effort to restore wetlands and build infrastructure to protect against the threat of rising seas and extreme storms
- Advocating for investment and policies that support the creation of a new, modern energy grid to better integrate and manage growing renewable energy sources
- Modernizing and expanding our water storage and delivery system to prepare for future droughts
- Supporting business in adopting corporate renewable energy goals and strategies
- Advancing the deployment and adoption of electric and other zero emission vehicles
