Moving Forward with Climate Change Action

Brian McCowan, ERS, for Zondits

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President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change is a major disappointment. Reaching agreement in Paris required a massive international effort that resulted in nearly two hundred countries agreeing to work toward common goals. The United States was one of several countries that provided leadership in crafting and negotiating the agreement. But progress on climate change should not and will not be slowed here or abroad, due to the president’s decision. Thirty-five years of experience in efficiency and renewable energy reminds me that the drive for cleaner energy has not come from the top down, but instead has risen from the roots. Although I would not reject the positive role that high-level political leadership can play in environmental politics, it is businesses – large and small – and local leaders who have answered the call for action on climate change.

We urge the leaders of nations signed on to the Paris Agreement to consider that the U.S. president does not decide what businesses and individuals strive to accomplish. By and large, we are partners in the international effort toward a positive future. And as history has proven multiple times, the concerned and active residents of the United States will lead the way, and the federal government will eventually follow the will of the people. As a partner in an energy efficiency firm, I can affirm that our resolve to keep moving the ball forward is not wavering. We applaud the state and local leaders as well as the hundreds of businesses who are publicly stating their support of the ideals established with the Paris accord, and their commitment to take decisive action regardless of the actions of the Oval Office. We are confident that the efficiency and clean energy industries will take a leading role in an international effort to address climate change.

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