Letter: Voters of Watchunghills Wants Promises Upheld In Paris Climate Agreement

At their upcoming meeting on Thursday, June 1, members of the organization Voters of Watchunghills (VOW) plan to discuss recent reports that the Trump administration plans to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. VOW members have expressed deep concerns about the environmental, political, and economic repercussions of such a withdrawal.

During the recent summit of G7 nations, President Trump did not assert his commitment to the agreement, later tweeting that a final decision about the United States’ participation in it would come sometime this week. There has not yet been a formal statement, but news reports on Wednesday indicated the President plans to pull out of the agreement.

The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, reached by nearly 200 nations, was an international effort that established standards to curb the impact and speed of climate change. The agreement committed nations to limit the rise in global temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. The Obama administration further pledged to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.

A number of leading fossil fuel companies have urged the president to remain in the agreement including Exxon Mobil and top U.S. coal companies, such as Cloud Peak Energy and Peabody Energy.

“Pulling back from the Paris climate agreement would be a tremendous setback to the progress we have gradually begun to make in the fight against climate change,” commented Wendy Robinson, VOW Chair and a Republican. “It would be greatly disheartening if the U.S. retracted its international commitments.”

“Withdrawing from the agreement would send the wrong message to the global community, which has looked to American leadership in taking up the charge against climate change,” said Annie Yang, a VOW member and Warren resident. “It would shrink our clout and status on the global stage in international climate policy, leaving room for other nations to step in and fill that gap.”

China is reportedly prepared to take an expanded role in global leadership and is already heavily invested in the renewable energy industry. It recently announced plans to infuse at least $350 billion by 2020 in renewable and low-carbon energy sources, creating what they estimate will be 13 million jobs.

Yang is also concerned about the economic impact the competition from other nations could have on the U.S.

“Not only would a withdrawal send the wrong message to the world; it also would send the wrong message to domestic energy companies and investors,” she said. “We could lose out on hundreds of thousands of new jobs that would be created here in New Jersey and, on a larger scale, in the U.S. Instead, those jobs could go to China or other nations that are more committed to developing their sectors in green and renewable energy.”

According to the Department of Energy’s 2017 U.S. Energy and Employment Report, 41,000, or 79 percent, of the approximately 52,000 New Jersey jobs in energy generation and energy efficiency are in clean energy, including solar, wind, and energy efficiency. Approximately 9,739 New Jersey residents work in solar and wind electricity generation, which is more than three times the 3,133 jobs related to natural gas and coal combined.

“Whatever the result of the discussion among Trump and his advisors, our representatives need to know where we stand on this issue,” said Robinson. “We must make it clear that we unequivocally reject withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement.”

Voters of Watchung Hills (VOW) is a recently formed group in the Watchung Hills area that seeks responsible and ethical government from local representatives.

VOW meets once a week and is open to all who wish to join.

For more information or to join, contact votersofwatchunghills@gmail.com. Find the group's Facebook page at Voters of Watchung Hills - VOW.

— By Voters of Watchung Hills (VOW)