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President Donald Trump’s announcement on Thursday that the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement drew strong reactions from the local community.
The Paris Agreement is a pact by 195 nations to limit increasing global temperatures, reduce climate change emissions and finance pathways towards climate-resilient development. It was adopted by consensus in December 2015. Part of the agreement requires developed countries to provide developing countries with funds for adapting to greener sources of energy.
During a press conference Thursday at the White House, Trump said that the agreement is “costing the U.S. a vast fortune.” He is open to renegotiating a “deal that’s fair,” he said.
More than 30 people gathered for a rally Thursday evening on the corner of El Camino Real and Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto. Holding signs that read “Shame,” “Protect the Planet” and “The seas are rising and so are we,” they stood at the intersection for about an hour and a half. Cars passing through the streets honked in support of the rally, and poster paper and markers were available for participants to make their own signs. Four women from the Raging Grannies sang a song to the tune of “Home on the Range,” having rewritten the lyrics to include lines such as “Home, home on the earth / Your beauty’s beginning to fade / We have to act fast” and “Today Mr. Trump / put us down in the dumps.” At one point, a driver stopped at the intersection to relay enthusiasm for their cause. A participant responded, “The future is yours — let’s save it now.”
The rally was organized by the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center (PPJC), a grassroots activist organization. Paul George, director of the PPJC, said he drafted an email calling for a rally early Thursday morning and shared through the group’s email list in addition to sharing through throughout social media and by word of mouth.
“The president needs to see such an outpouring of support for addressing climate change that he will realize he’s made a mistake and reverse his decision,” George said. “It’s just utterly insane to ignore all the scientific evidence when the entire world has agreed to this accord and he’s taking us out of it.”
According to Noah Diffenbaugh, Stanford professor at the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, the United States’ withdrawal could increase the risk of climate impact in the country, including heat waves, heavy downpours and intense droughts such as the recent California drought.
Not only will the probability of extreme events increase, but a lack of commitment to climate solutions will also damage the U.S. economy, George said. The future of jobs in America is clean energy, he said, and Trump will not bring back coal jobs “no matter what he does.”
According to a 2015 report by the Environmental Defense Fund, job creation in the renewable energy sector has outstripped that in the fossil fuel industry, with solar-energy jobs growing at a rate 12 times faster than the rest of the U.S. economy.
“The president is foreclosing the future by pulling out of this global climate agreement,” George said.
“Anyone who lives on this planet should care,” he said. “This is a global crisis.”
PPJC board of directors President Stephanie Reader, who attended the rally, also said that the country has solutions for the impacts of climate change that would be “good for the economy and the future,” such as clean technology, electric cars and solar energy.
“People (in the Silicon Valley) want to work on those things,” she said. “So the economy of the United States would be far better off focusing on developing and innovating the kind of technologies that will make people’s lives better and protect the planet from carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases.”
Chris Field, Stanford University professor and director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, didn’t attend the rally but said that his reaction to Trump’s announcement “is truly one of profound sadness.”
Each citizen, however, can make lifestyle choices that nevertheless make a difference in climate change solutions, he said.
“Support for clean energy at the city levels is incredibly important,” Field said. “That’s sort of the main leverage we have, really demanding that we be allowed to participate in climate solutions, and a lot of those are consumption decisions about where the electricity comes from, what kind of vehicle you drive, what kind of efficiency measures are in your home.”
Mountain View’s mayor, Ken Rosenberg, made his sentiments know via a Facebook post on Thursday.
“Mountain View will continue to work with local and State officials to support California’s global leadership in addressing climate change,” he wrote.
“The city is already using 100 percent renewable energy from the new Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority. It is only one of hundreds of efforts the city is taking to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Palo Alto Mayor Greg Scharff announced in a statement Thursday that he has joined at least 60 other mayors across the country as a member of the Mayor’s National Climate Action Agenda, which will continue to “support, lead and uphold the commitments to the goals of the Paris Agreement.”
“Palo Alto has … taken actions that have led to a carbon neutral electricity supply at a lower cost than competitors, and adopted a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a rate 20 years ahead of the state,” he wrote. “Those are the actions of a city that views climate change as a defining issue for the future, and critical to our quality of life and economic vitality.”
Rep. Anna Eshoo, whose district includes Mountain View, also released a statement on Thursday condemning Trump’s decision, calling it a “deeply irresponsible and dangerous” motion that prioritizes politics over country.
“With this action, the President has surrendered that leadership and put our planet at greater risk of catastrophic sea level rise, severe weather and other impacts which threaten our health, environment and national security,” she said.
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Family and friends of Jaylyn Panis Somera hold up the Mountain View High School graduate’s photo as they cheer her on as she receives her diploma on June 2, 2017. Photo by Veronica Weber. -
Sarah Maciag gives her speech, “Frame The Moment” during graduation at Mountain View High School on June 2, 2017. Photo by Veronica Weber. -
Graduates of Mountain View High School receive their diplomas as family and friends watch from the football field during commencement on June 3, 2017. Photo by Veronica Weber. -
Ron Miasnik and Javin Lu give their speech, “Breaking Boundaries: A Mountain View Story” to fellow graduates of Mountain View High School on June 2, 2017. Photo by Veronica Weber. -
Joseph Perrino receives his diploma from Mountain View Los Altos school board member Joe Mitchner during graduation on June 2, 2017. Photo by Veronica Weber. -
Dead and Company played Shoreline Amphitheatre on June 3-4. Courtesy of Shoreline Amphitheatre -
Alta Vista High School graduating seniors Andrea Dryzga, left, and Judy Tutuvanu walk into their ceremony on May 31, 2017. Photo by Michelle Le
There is no federal prohibition against individuals, communities, companies or states taking steps to reduce adverse climate impacts. To me, the decision revolves around whether the feds should dictate national behaviors on this subject. So, stop the incessant Trump-bashing and get on with doing things that are good for the environment. If you require some government to tell you what to do, that may be a bigger problem of dependency.
For the cost of TRILLIONS, we will save our future inhabitants of earth from living in a world that is .002 less of 1 degree in heat increase.
How stupid to spend those TRILLIONS to be .002 degrees not be that tiny amount warmer.
Besides, this ole earth has had temp. swings for millions of years…BEFORE anyone ever thought about “man made” warming….
Remember, 20 or 30 years ago the coming ICE AGE was all the rage.
In the 50s it was global cooling they worried about now it’s global warming. Oh wait a minute, winters are too cold, need to call it climate change now. Yes, the climate changes, ever since day one and it will change whether man is on it or not.
@ Thomas, The communist manifesto is that the people are stupid and the select few can only make the rules. Sadly that’s the liberal/gay way too.
Thanks for at least putting the homophobia and Red Scare nonsense front and center. Makes it clear to everyone reading just how deranged you are.
Thankfully, our fantastic governor Jerry Brown and the governors of Washington and New York will be leading the way yet again, in the face of the sad denialists. Go California!
‘Dozens rally against…’
Well that’s a massive protest that warrants a story.
Regarding climate change: The genie is out of the bottle and the amounts of money required to bend the curve even by a few decades is stupendous, and will not ultimately make a difference. the planet has always gone through climate cycles and this time it is no different. Furthermore, there are numerous variables that we simply don’t understand that impact the progression of climate change, as well as variables that are random e.g. A Tambora or Krakatoa type volcanic eruption.
Frankly we have been living in an unusually temperate time period and the fact that it is now changing – be it by our own hand, external variables, or a combination of the two – Is not at all surprising
So rather than waste money trying to stop the inevitable how about spending that money on more pressing global needs, as well as planning for the mitigation of the inevitable? This is not to say that we shouldn’t fight pollution, or pursue alternate energy sources – both are important and valuable; however the current single minded obsession with reversing the process is not rational nor will it ultimately be successful
“Well that’s a massive protest that warrants a story. ”
Welcome! Must be your fist day here. Yep, that many people getting together to protest anything will garner a story around here every single time.
Sometimes the minority opinion makes a difference though. The minority opinion won the last presidential election so you cannot dismiss it entirely. Your minority opinion on global warming may make a difference too. You never know.
@DBaPR
At one point a minority thought the earth was round and revolved around the sun. Eventually the majority came around. So one can hope.
Yes, they all finally listened to the scientists and realized the scientists were right. That’s was the crucial moment, when such a vast majority of scientists and scientific studies proved the claim of roundness, the doubters could no longer make their case logically. Then there was nothing but truth.
Yes, I know there are those on the left and right who care deeply about their political perspectives . . . I get the tension between national mandates and state rights, but in this case we have to accept that “We the People” (meaning the good ol’ US of A) have contributed the most towards global warming. This is a global issue, which requires a higher standard of thinking, accountability and problem solving. By not moving forward with the accord, our national leader fails to understand the importance of the world’s future. If you’re proud to stand with Syria and Nicaragua as the other hold out’s . . . holy cow.
At one point scientists believed the earth was flat and the center of the universe. Scientists have always made claims that turn out later to be false. A real scientist always keeps an open mind about what he doesn’t know and is always willing to update or change his mind about what he thinks is true. Unfortunately , the record for environmental scientists predicting economic disaster is poor. And unfortunately these claims have been pushed to support political agendas.
@thiughts, can you provide a source for the statement that the US has contributed more? I haven’t heard this statistic, curious to know how it was determined.
In the old days, scientists debated with one another, and knowledge slowly evolved. Now, fundamentally scientific matters are discussed by the lay public and the media, there are innumerable “talking heads”, political posturing, and polarizing animosity between individuals. What happened?
classic. posters ask for facts and the discussion gets shut down. Classic. I too would like to see facts on the US being the biggest contributor to global warming. I have a feeling i’m not going to see any….because it’s NOT TRUE.