After President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement on Thursday, the Democratic governors in California, New York and Washington state announced a state climate coalition called the United States Climate Alliance.
“The President has already said climate change is a hoax, which is the exact opposite of virtually all scientific and worldwide opinion,” California Governor Jerry Brown said in a statement announcing the alliance. “I don’t believe fighting reality is a good strategy – not for America, not for anybody. If the President is going to be AWOL in this profoundly important human endeavor, then California and other states will step up.”
The alliance will support the Paris pact and serve as “a forum to sustain and strengthen existing climate programs, promote the sharing of information and best practices, and implement new programs to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors of the economy,” according to a statement from the three governors.
Brown will also travel to China on Friday where he will participate in a climate summit and speak with Chinese officials about combatting climate change.