HomeMy WebLinkAboutParis Accord Letter_20190315City of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114, slocity.org
15 March 2019
Joanclair Richter
Campaign Organizer CA
750 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 520 VIA: Mail and Email
Washington, DC 20001 joanclair.richter@climatereality.com
RE: Commitment to Paris Climate Accord.
Consensus exists among the world’s leading climate scientists that we face a major global
climate crisis caused by greenhouse gas emissions, with rising sea levels and melting ice
sheets creating increasingly unpredictable and unhealthy living environments as we approach
a dangerous threshold of global warming. Documented impacts of global warming include
but are not limited to increased occurrences of extreme weather events, significant impacts
to human health and safety, destruction of ecosystems, and reduced economic productivity.
The United Nations Paris Climate Accord (“Paris Accord”) is a historic international
agreement reached in 2015 aimed at reducing carbon emissions, slowing rising global
temperatures, and helping countries deal with the effects of climate change. All but two
countries in the world have signed the Paris Accord, committing to enact programs to limit
global temperature increase to less than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with
an expectation that this goal would be reduced to one and a half degrees in the future. The
United States ratified the Paris Accord on September 3, 2016 and committed to its own target
of reducing carbon emissions by 26 to 28 percent by 2025. On June 1, 2017, President Trump
announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Accord. The United
States’ withdrawal could result in an additional three billion tons of carbon dioxide being
released into the atmosphere each year, and an additional increase of as much as 0.3 degrees
Celsius in global temperatures by end of the century.
States and local governments are leading the effort to combat climate change by reducing
greenhouse gas emissions; reducing petroleum use in cars and trucks; increasing electricity
derived from renewable sources; increasing the energy efficiency savings achieved at
existing buildings and making heating fuels cleaner; reducing the release of methane, black
carbon, and other short-lived climate pollutants; managing farm and rangelands, forests, and
wetlands so they can store carbon; and periodically updating the state’s climate adaptation
strategy. The City of San Luis Obispo’s geographic location makes it particularly vulnerable
to the devastating impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels, drought, flooding,
and the concomitant adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Local
jurisdictions, led by the County of Santa Clara, have resolved to take sharp exception to
President Trump’s unilateral intention to withdraw from the Paris Accord despite the dire
consequences of the planet’s rising temperatures and opposition from communities across
the country and world. Proactively responding to climate change provides opportunities to
be at the forefront of innovation with respect to a broad range of technology, products,
services, and know-how that transitioning to a climate-compatible future brings.
The City of San Luis Obispo sees its commitment to deep decarbonization as a chance to
enhance our quality of life and create a vibrant resilient economy. We have already made
significant progress toward our goal, including joining a Community Choice Energ y
program that will provide carbon free electricity to our community, installing solar on our
properties, investing in clean fleet vehicles, and supporting communitywide electric vehicle
adoption, among many other activities.
The City Council of the City of San Luis Obispo opposes President Trump’s intention to
withdraw the United States from the Paris Accord and urges the federal government to
maintain and actively work to achieve its commitment to the emissions reductions under the
Paris Accord. The City of San Luis Obispo joins the County of Santa Clara and counties and
states across the country in committing to the goals of the Paris Accord to combat climate
change and promote environmental sustainability. The City of San Luis Obispo will continue
its efforts to further the commitment made by the United States under the Paris Accord to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including through its Climate Action Plan, regardless of
President Trump’s stated intention to revoke the United States’ ratification of t he Paris
Accord.
Sincerely,
Heidi Harmon
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo