ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders recently passed a resolution asserting the county’s support of the Paris Climate Accord, from which President Donald Trump has decided to remove the United States.
The resolution, which passed unanimously, asserts Essex County’s commitment to combating climate change.
“The time to protect our communities from the dangerous effects of climate change is now,” Freeholder Vice President Brendan Gill, who introduced the resolution, said in a press release. “President Trump’s extremely shortsighted decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord could jeopardize American jobs, our national security and our environment. The United States should stand as a leader in the global fight against climate change, not pander to a fringe group of climate deniers. We must remain committed on the local level to pursuing strategies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect our environment for future generations.”
The resolutions reads that climate change is very real, despite the opinions of some opponents, and that the county needs to commit to healing the planet and ensuring global warming does not worsen due to the county’s actions. It also cites the fact that in 2015, every single country except two — Nicaragua and Syria — signed the Paris Climate Accord.
“On June 1, 2017, President Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Accord despite the dire consequences of the planet’s rising temperatures and opposition from communities across the country and world,” the resolution reads. “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.
“The County Climate Coalition takes sharp exception to President Trump’s unilateral intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Accord and urges the federal government to adhere to its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris Accord,” the resolution continued. “Regardless of whether the United States ultimately withdraws from the Paris Accord, the local government signatories to the County Climate Coalition Declaration intend to continue working toward meeting the United States’ commitment under the Paris Accord through results-oriented strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and … by combating climate change through renewable solar development, alternative community energy providers, enhanced waste diversion, environmentally friendly vehicles, reduction of water usage and other local solutions, the County Climate Coalition will continue their efforts to slow the dangerous pace of global warming while advancing environmental sustainability, protecting public health and leading innovation.”
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