ARCATA MAYOR SUSAN ORNELAS SIGNS ON TO CLIMATE MAYORS’ LETTER
(Arcata, CA) – On June 1, the day President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, Arcata Mayor Susan Ornelas signed on to a statement by 61 U.S. mayors promising to adopt, honor and uphold the Paris Agreement goals.
Less than one month since President Trump’s withdrawal, the Climate Mayors group has grown to 311 mayors representing nearly one in five Americans. The Climate Mayors are expected to officially sign on to the Paris Agreement goals at a press conference this Saturday, June 24, at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 85th Annual Meeting in Miami Beach.
The Climate Mayors’ June 1 statement read:
“As 61 Mayors representing 36 million Americans, we will adopt, honor, and uphold the commitments to the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement. We will intensify efforts to meet each of our cities’ current climate goals, push for new action to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, and work together to create the 21st century clean energy economy. The world cannot wait?—?and neither will we.”
Mayor Ornelas was also authorized by the Arcata City Council to sign on to an open letter to the international community from U.S. state, local, higher education and business leaders affirming continued support for climate action to meet the Paris Climate Agreement goals.
The open letter reads:
“In the absence of leadership from Washington, states, cities, colleges and universities and businesses representing a sizeable percentage of the U.S. economy will pursue ambitious climate goals, working together to take forceful action and to ensure that the U.S. remains a global leader in reducing emissions... It is imperative that the world know that in the U.S., the actors that will provide the leadership necessary to meet our Paris commitment are found in city halls, state capitals, colleges and universities and businesses. Together, we will remain actively engaged with the international community as part of the global effort to hold warming to under 2°C and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit our security, prosperity, and health.”
The full Climate Mayors statement is available online at https://medium.com/@climatemayors.
The full text of the open letter to the international community is also available online at http://www.cityofarcata.org/713/Council-Legislative-Advocacy.
###
Photo on Left: Visitors to the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary can learn about climate change and how it affects the sea level from educational signs at various locations. According to current sea level rise predictions, 100-year floods and storm surges will rise to the top of this sign by 2100. (Photo credit: City of Arcata.)
Photo on Right: The king tide of December 2016 at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary gives a glimpse of what future sea levels look like. (Photo from GoPro Video: City of Arcata.)