Sixty US Mayors pledge to adopt Paris Agreement goals

Washington: Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, on Thursday, announced that he was proud to continue to adopt goals of the Paris Agreement with 60 fellow mayors, who are committed to the Mayors National Climate Action Agenda (MNCAA).

The agenda, also known as Climate Mayors, is a network of 88 US mayors, representing over 43 million Americans all over the country. They work together to strengthen local efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting efforts for binding federal and global-level policy making.

ALSO READ: US pulls out of Paris Climate Agreement, announces Donald Trump

In response to US President Donald Trump's announcement of his country's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the organisation, led by Garcetti said that they would adopt, honour, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the 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," the organisation stated.

They pledged to increase investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and will buy and create more demand for electric cars and trucks.

The mayors said, "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."

ALSO READ: Donald Trump likely to withdraw from Paris climate agreement

Sixty one mayors signed their names in the statement, including almost all mayors of the big cities in the US, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix and Denver.

"Climate change is a fact of life that people in Los Angeles and cities around the world live with every day. It is a grave threat to our health, our environment, and our economy and it is not debatable or negotiable," said Garcetti in a statement released shortly after Trump's announcement.