Mayor De Blasio says NYC will honor Paris climate accord after U.S. pulls out

De Blasio responded to the news that the Trump administration will abandon the landmark agreement to fight climate change

In a break with all but two nations across the world, President Donald Trump announced today that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate accord, a historic agreement to lessen the country's carbon footprint in an attempt to fight the global effects of climate change.

In the wake of that decision, 61 mayors across the U.S. announced that they would step up their cities' own efforts to combat climate change, and adopt the Paris climate agreement on a local scale. Mayor Bill de Blasio, unsurprisingly, is among the members of the Climate Mayors, and in a statement, he denounced Trump's move:

"President Trump can turn his back on the world, but the world cannot ignore the very real threat of climate change. This decision is an immoral assault on the public health, safety and security of everyone on this planet. New Yorkers are already experiencing hotter summers, more powerful storms and rising seas, which disproportionately affect already vulnerable communities.

At a press conference yesterday for the launch of the latest leg of the NYC Ferry, De Blasio did not mince words—surely no coincidence, since the event was held in Red Hook, a neighborhood hit particularly hard by Hurricane Sandy.

"We saw this community disrupted so tremendously by something that was directly affected by climate change," De Blasio noted. "There's no question about it. Hurricane Sandy, Nor'easter—all that occurred in that super storm—was because of climate change. We've already borne the brunt here in New York City. It's only going got get worse if something is not done quickly to reverse the course the earth is on."

De Blasio plans to issue an executive order that will "honor the goals of the Paris agreement," though what shape that will take remains to be seen. He'll almost certainly have the backing of other New York city officials; both Public Advocate Letitia James and Comptroller Scott Stringer, among others, have issued their own statements condemning the Trump administration's decision.

Don't let anyone tell you pulling out of the #ParisAgreement is good for business. A green economy is inevitable — & we just went backwards. pic.twitter.com/Jm10ZVeag9

— Scott M. Stringer (@NYCComptroller) June 1, 2017

While the effects of climate change have already transformed parts of New York City—particularly its waterfronts, as documented by Camera Obscura columnist Nathan Kensinger in the years since Hurricane Sandy—things will likely only get worse in the years to come. Recent research has found that much of the five boroughs could be underwater within a century, and the city is already redrawing the current flood maps in an effort to better prepare for how climate change will reshape New York's landscape.

• 61 mayors adopt Paris climate accord after U.S. pulls out [Curbed.com]
• 4 things to know about the Paris climate agreement [Vox.com]