Energy & Environment

10 more cities sign on to Chicago climate pact

Ten more cities have signed on to the Chicago Climate Charter, a now 67-city pact to fight climate change in the face of President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) announced the new signatories, which include Louisville, Ky.; San Jose, Calif.; Saint Paul, Minn.; and Boulder, Colo.

“While the Trump administration continues to bury their heads deeper in the sand when it comes to climate change, local leaders are confronting the challenge head-on,” Emanuel said in a release.

The Chicago Climate Charter, which requires participating cities to adhere to many of the climate guidelines set by the Paris agreement, was first signed at the North American Climate Summit earlier this month. Former President Barack Obama, who helped solidify the Paris accord, spoke at the event. Emanuel served as Obama’s chief of staff in the White House.

{mosads}In addition to mayors from other U.S. cities, the Chicago charter has been signed by leaders from Mexico City, Vancouver and Paris.

Denny Doyle, mayor of Beaverton, Ore., signed on to the charter Wednesday, saying that he was “proud” to sign.

“While the current administration continues to deny the impact of climate change, we in Beaverton understand that we must confront the truth about climate change, not hide from it,” Doyle said in the release.

Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris agreement in June, saying that the climate commitment was unfair to the U.S. “at the highest level.” The U.S. is the only country not in support of the agreement, after Nicaragua and Syria signed on to it earlier this year.